The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Jeff McCabe is a former majority leader of the Maine House of Representatives with a long career in natural resources and outdoor recreation. A registered Maine Guide for more than 20 years, he lives in Skowhegan with his wife and their three children.
You don’t often get the chance to know a true statesman, outdoorsman, and genuinely good person. I’ve been fortunate enough to know Matt Dunlap.
When I was newly elected, Matt and I were sitting together during orientation and started talking about hunting season. I mentioned that my lever-action .30-30 was being repaired. Matt didn’t hesitate. He simply said, “No problem. I’ll let you borrow one of my rifles.”
That might sound like a small thing, but to me it wasn’t. It was Matt being Matt — generous, welcoming and willing to help without making a big deal about it.
I’ve always admired Matt’s commitment to Maine’s outdoors. He understands that our sporting heritage is about more than hunting or fishing. It’s about conservation, stewardship, passing traditions down and making sure the next generation has the opportunity to experience Maine the way so many of us have. His commitment to conservation and hunter education is something I deeply respect. He understands that if we want Maine’s outdoor traditions to continue, we have to teach and invest in the next generation.
Throughout my time in elected office, I reached out to Matt directly when constituents needed help. I knew I could call him and he would listen. One weekend, I contacted him when he was secretary of state about a local business owner and several employees who had their licenses stolen while they were in Hawaii. Matt didn’t say, “That’s not my problem.” He worked to help them.
Later, when I worked for a state employee union, I saw another side of Matt. Workers would come to the State House, and Matt would actually sit down and talk with them. He listened. He asked questions. He wanted to understand what they were going through. He treated people with dignity, regardless of their position or politics.
Those experiences stand in stark contrast to what I personally witnessed during my eight years in the Legislature and two years working with a labor union when it came to Paul LePage.
I remember the closure of the Madison paper mill — more than 200 good jobs gone — and how, when leaders from both parties sat down with Gov. LePage to find a way forward, he used the meeting to rant about his political grievances instead of offering solutions, while families in Somerset County wondered how they’d pay their bills. I remember that frustration and anger in the State House.
And I remember the workers at the Downeast Correctional Facility, who arrived one February morning to find their prison being emptied by armed officers on the governor’s orders — their jobs gone with no notice, in a part of Washington County that could least afford it. Those experiences left a lasting impression on me about what leadership should — and should not — look like.
For me, this isn’t about political slogans. It’s personal.
I’ve seen Matt Dunlap treat people with respect when nobody was watching. I’ve seen him help people who needed someone to answer the phone. I’ve seen his commitment to Maine’s land, wildlife and sporting traditions. And I’ve seen him sit down with people who disagree with him and actually listen.
That’s the kind of person I believe Maine’s 2nd Congressional District deserves representing them.
Someone who knows Maine. Someone who cares about Maine. Someone who will work with people instead of simply working against them.
That person, in my experience, is Matt Dunlap.