Weekly Column: A Good Public Servant

April 11, 2007

We all remember President John Kennedy’s challenge for us to get involved and to ask what we can do for our country, and for decades that challenge was the inspiration for many.

Since that speech, I think people have decided to get involved in public service for a variety of reasons. Perhaps in Maine the reason is to make the community you live in better now and for the next generation. Our state is unique from many others in the sense that we do not have mega cities, but rather a series of small towns or small cities that link together.

Our small town government structure requires that we all play a part in some way to serve the communities we live in. Moreover, it is probably in our DNA as Mainers to see a problem and want to fix it. If the problem is an opening on the school board or city council, then we talk to our family, friends, and neighbors and ask them for their vote so we can serve the community.

Similarly, serving in the Maine Legislature can be quite a challenge for many too. Those who run do not do it for the money. In fact, legislators receive only about $10,000 a year when averaged out over a two-year period. For many who are schoolteachers, lawyers, or doctors, legislative service can present a financial challenge to their professions. Representative Abby Holman is a great example of a Maine citizen who was doing it all balancing career challenges all while being a single mom.

I was very saddened to hear last Saturday that Abby had passed away following a skiing accident. In remarks about Abby, Tuesday, House Republican Leader Josh Tardy, said, “ In all of my years, I have met few people who were as full of life as Abby Holman. Her energy, optimism, determination, and deep desire for public service made her well known in these halls long before she was ever elected.”

Representative Tardy added, “She was passionate, she was fiery and she was determined to make a difference. Abby Holman had quite a life—she accomplished an awful lot—and she helped many. She was a loyal friend and a great mom.”

As a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, Abby began her legal career working for Governor John McKernan serving as a law clerk and later legislative director. Abby also served as an Assistant D.A. prosecuting criminal cases in Bath District Court. These professional roles ultimately helped influence her to run for public office and serve in the Maine House of Representatives. While Abby and I often differed on some positions, I always had the greatest respect for her passion and commitment to her beliefs. It is this kind of civility in our democratic process that makes our country unique from most others. As Democrats and Republicans in Maine, however, there is usually more that brings us together than separates us. We are constantly learning from each others positions and ideas, and that is what makes the legislative process so special.

Abby is a great example of someone who stepped up to the challenge of public service, and although she is now gone, she will not be forgotten.

Libby Mitchell is the Senate Majority Leader in the Maine Senate. She represents the communities of Augusta, Vassalboro, China, Oakland, and Sidney for District 24.

CORRECTION: In last week’s column, I wrote about the Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent Refund Program also known as the Circuit Breaker. In my explanation of the income guidelines for homeowners I said they have been expanded to include married couples owning homes with combined incomes less than $99,500 and single homeowners who make less than $77,000. Married homeowners can actually earn up to $102,000. For more information on the program, please go to www.mainesenate.org/taxreform or call my office at 287-1515.