A state representative has resigned to become the Maine Senate president’s chief of staff.
Kristen Cloutier resigned Friday as the representative for House District 94, which includes part of Lewiston.
In announcing her resignation in a social media post, Cloutier said that she will become chief of staff for Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry.
“This is a bittersweet transition. I am super excited to begin this new chapter,” she wrote.
Her resignation was effective Friday. The Lewiston City Council will decide whether to appoint someone to fill the seat or leave it vacant until next November, ABC affiliate WMTW reported.
Cloutier was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2018. Before that she served on the Lewiston City Council and as The Lew’s mayor.
Cloutier threw her support to Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman, who was running for the District 94 seat, which Cloutier would have vacated next year because of the state’s term limits law.
“Scott is exactly the right person at the right time to fill this role,” she wrote, pointing to Harriman’s time on the council, his work as a representative to the School Committee and his advocacy on a range of issues before the Legislature.
“There is no one more qualified, and no one I trust more to fill this opening with integrity, empathy, and a true desire to serve his constituents,” Cloutier wrote.