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As an older voter, I am supporting the election of Madison Cook for Maine State House District 39, representing Belfast, Belmont, and Northport. Our retiring representative, Jan Dodge, leaves shoes that are plenty large to fill. I believe Madison is the best candidate not only to fill them, but to take the work one step further.
We must elect a new generation of political leaders, able and willing to take on complex challenges. I watched Madison, who was raised in Belfast, run as a write-in candidate for the RSU 71 School Board. She ran a highly organized campaign and won handily. Her approach to public service has been to focus on addressing challenges head on, not allowing her attention to be distracted by extremism or our polarized political environment.
Madison is a champion of technical training for skilled jobs in Maine. She teaches architecture at the University of Maine at Augusta, and serves on the Waldo County Tech Center board. I believe she will work to ensure that Maine invests more into its trade schools and incentivizes new training programs targeted at climate resiliency.
I think her knowledge, experience, and commitment (for such a young person), are a perfect match both for continuing to serve on our local school board, and meeting Maine’s urgent needs through working in our state government. In the June 9 primary, join me in voting for Madison Cook to be our next representative in the Maine State House!
Teresa Toole
Belfast