House District 53 candidate Jeff Pierce shared a story from the campaign trail after the conclusion of The Lincoln County News Meet the Candidates forum Monday night.
Pierce said he was out “knocking on doors” recently, and talking with a prospective constituent. They were having a great discussion, Pierce said, when the lady asked him if he was a “D” or an “R.”
“I am an R,” Pierce said. “Well, that’s alright,” the lady said, according to Pierce. “You can go on now, I am never going to vote for you.”
“Now wait a minute,” Pierce said. “We’ve been having a great conversation. Here you and I agree on almost everything. What does it matter if I’m an R or a D? How am I going to represent you if we can’t even talk to each other?”
That said, the congeniality among the candidates Monday night was notable. There were certainly strong differences of opinion, but to a person, they were engaged and focused on what they believe to be the best course ahead.
During the course of the forum, several candidates repeated the point of Pierce’s story: it doesn’t matter who is a Republican or a Democrat, what matters is the best interest of the state. We agree.
Whatever the outcome of the votes next month, we wish all of our candidates well, and commend them all for throwing their respective hats into the ring. Frankly, given the demands of political office these days, we are not sure why anyone would want the job, but thank God they do.
The hours are long, the pay is low, and potential for harsh criticism in unrelenting. It helps if you have thick skin and a particular zeal for debate.
People talk about the government like it is some unconnected thing and to an extent, as the stage gets bigger, there is a disconnect between private citizens and their representatives.
Here in Maine, however, more so than in other states we believe, and especially here in Lincoln County, the people really are the government. Politicians for state office know people expect to meet their representatives and that’s why “knocking on doors” is a time-honored ritual on the Maine campaign trail.
Other areas of the country are served by professional politicians, mayors, and city council members, or aldermen, what have you. Here in Maine, our politicians are most likely neighbors.
