Before moving to Florida in late 2018, I was a resident of Maine for 15 years – the first six as president of Bath Iron Works. My wife and I returned to Bath this summer and for two months watched a never-ending onslaught of negative ads, mostly funded by non-Mainers against two candidates for the U.S. Senate – Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Sara Gideon. Of course, no one is perfect – but neither deserved the unfair accusations and counterpunches, mostly funded by “away” money. I initially thought I would write in support of Sen. Collins, but then thought “Why bother?” as I also am now from away.
Reading the local papers this past week changed my mind. I feel I must bother – I owe it to the men and women who worked effectively with me while I was at BIW, for their families and for the hundreds of citizens of Maine who also made life the way it should be for my wife and me. I write now because I care deeply for all these Maine citizens.
One letter to the editor was headlined “Collins has failed BIW,” indicating she was AWOL in her support of Maine’s largest industrial employer. The headline of a news story raised the question “Is Collins or Gideon better for BIW?” In my opinion Sen. Collins has never failed BIW, nor has she failed the families and friends of those over 6,000 workers at our yard. There also is no doubt in my mind who is better for BIW, not just the company BIW, but also the BIW family: those many thousands of active and retired workers and their families located across the state
Let me summarize why I feel this strongly. Her record the past 24 years is without parallel, but I will focus on the past six since her last re-election, when she was endorsed by all four labor unions at BIW. She has continued to influence securing funds for additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers for our Navy – built in Maine.
Equally important, she has spearheaded several initiatives to help citizens across Maine. Serving as chairwoman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, she has repeatedly ensured increased funding for Alzheimer’s research, taken action to protect American seniors from financial fraud and increased programs to warn seniors of new scams. Further, she has secured increased medical assistance funding, co-authored a bill to financially support family caregivers and led the charge to reduce the price of prescription drugs. In a related area she has strongly advocated for substantial sustained funding for dealing with the opioid epidemic that is ravaging communities not only in Maine but also across the nation.
She has also ensured our Maine leaders of tomorrow will be properly educated. She co-authored the Rural Education Achievement Program, which will allow our students in all Maine communities to have the tools, resources and flexibility for success in our primary and secondary schools. Another huge contribution to our future leaders’ education was the full funding for replacement of the Maine Maritime Academy training ship the State of Maine, where two-thirds of its students are Maine raised.
Maine needs Sen. Susan Collins to remain in the U.S. Senate. She is the most senior Republican woman in the Senate and is a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Those years of seniority will continue to allow her to do what is right and just for all the people of Maine: BIW workers, their parents, their children and their fellow citizens. Shortly after I arrived at BIW in 2003, I heard someone describe Sen. Collins: “She treats each person with dignity, she acts with integrity, and she uses Maine common sense.” Now, 17 years later, the description endures. She does all those things and much more to ensure the best life possible for those who call Maine home. I urge you to vote for Susan Collins.
Why bother? Because Maine and our nation need Sen. Collins in the United States Senate.
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