BANGOR, Maine — Fresh off her retirement after 30 years of teaching English at Bangor High School, Tori Kornfield will now become a student of politics after being chosen as a candidate for the Maine House of Representatives.
“I said I wanted to go to senior college, so I guess this is it,” the 66-year-old Kornfield said after being elected to replace incumbent Sara Stevens as the Democrat candidate to fill Bangor’s District 17 Representative seat this fall. “I am nervous about it, but I’m also really excited about it.
“I don’t know how to speak political. I don’t even know what a palm card is,” she said.
Kornfield was one of three candidates vying to replace Stevens, who has a 2½-month-old daughter, after she decided not to run for re-election in November to concentrate on her family’s newest addition.
“When you spend time to care for a baby, you realize how precious that time is,” Stevens said. “And when you’ve spent time on the appropriations committee in Augusta five to seven days a week, 10-16 hours a day, you know something would have to give.”
Kornfield, Chelsea Prybylo and Steve Winkler were the three candidates. Kornfield won a majority of the votes cast by the 43 eligible voters, who had to be registered Democrats living in District 17 and attendees of at least one of the last six Bangor Democrat party monthly meetings.
Kornfield, who has two daughters and three grandchildren with husband, Irv, a teacher at the University of Maine, said it has been a quick turnaround from veteran teacher to rookie political candidate.
“One day I got a message on my machine asking me to come to an informational meeting to possibly replace Sara in District 17,” said Kornfield, who admitted she isn’t exactly a political junkie. “I’ve considered myself a good Democrat and always voted.
“After I retired, I promised myself that whatever door opened, I’d give it a real chance and not just pass it over.”
The vote was conducted at the Sunday evening at the Democratic campaign office at 205 Exchange St. by secret ballot and voting totals were not announced.
“Ten years ago, I was one of two candidates at a meeting just like this, only I lost and there were just four eligible voters,” Stevens said.
Stevens was a student at Bangor High School while Kornfield was teaching, but was not one of her students.
This is such a one sided story. You basically write it like the Democrats are picking Kornfield to just go to the legislature. I thought Mary Budd was also running for this seat and you didn’t even mention her. Oh that’s right, I forgot it was the Bangor Democrat News.
There are not two sides to everything.
I will not compromise on that point.
(Well, if works for some, why not use it, too ?
What can they do except make our argument for us ?)
If there were two side to this story about the local Dem. Party picking its own candidate, name it, please Pete.
There isn’t as much another side as there is journalistic courtesy. In every other story the BDN writes, even stories involving the party primaries, at the end they usually say “and this person will be running against Republican/Democrat X in the general election”. It’s just standard language that they forgot in this piece.
Courtesy to those that will not compromise is just folly.
A zero net sum game.
So did you tell us WHAT the other side of this story was ?
No, you just said others should find one, where you can’t,
so as to treat those who will not compromise more fairly than they do others.
Words have meaning.
LOL at ya.
If you read Mary Budd’s campaign literature, no where on it can you find that she’s a Republican. Why?
On 99% of general election literature, you’re not going to find a party. That’s not specific to this race. Open up your eyes.
Congratulations to Kornfield and to District 17. I live in District 17 and have appreciated the years of service by Sara Stevens (and earlier, her mom, Pat Stevens) in our behalf. I’m am so very excited that Victoria Kornfield is running and wish her the best of luck in November! I would love to have her representing us in Augusta!
To WhoIsPete: The story never said that. It was obviously only about the Dems picking someone to replace Sara Stevens–whose sister, by the way, represented Orono in the House some years ago before being term limited–and not about her Rep. opponent Mary Budd. Budd will be a formidable opponent. As for the BDN always supporting Dems., what a joke! Sens. Collins and Snowe are put up on pedestals almost weekly. And when those two “moderates” recently voted with their fellow Rep. Senators to defeat the Lily Ledbetter law to try to give (other) women the same pay as men, the BDN found a way in its editorial to praise them for their opposition to that law.
I know it was about the Dems picking their person. But in every other story the BDN writes, even stories involving the party primaries, at the end they usually say “and this person will be running against Republican/Democrat X in the general election”. It’s just standard language that they forgot in this piece.
Pure crapola……