Senate District 24 voters will see two names appear on the Tuesday, June 11 primary ballot for the Democratic nomination to the Senate.
Jean Guzzetti, of Bath, and Denise Tepler, of Topsham, are seeking the Democratic nomination to the District 24 Senate seat.
District 24 is comprised of all of Sagadahoc County, as well as Dresden in Lincoln County. Incumbent Sen. D-Eloise Vitelli is serving her fourth and final term in the seat.
Maine will have state primaries on Tuesday, June 11. Voters will decide who will go forward to the November election to face Republican Jeffrey Pierce, of Dresden, for the Senate seat.
Dresden voters can cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Pownalborough Hall.
Jean Guzzetti
Guzzetti hopes to address affordable housing and energy costs with her bid for the Democratic nomination for Senate.
Guzzetti moved to Maine after receiving her master’s degree from the University of Alaska in 2008.
Guzzetti has worked at the Maine Public Utilities Commission as a greenhouse gas initiative coordinator, as well as at Efficiency Maine. She has served as a policy analyst for the Maine State Legislature, and Register Probate of Sagadahoc County.
She is currently studying energy, environment, and natural resources law on a part time basis at the University of Maine Law School.
Guzzetti decided to run for Senate because she believes she can use her skill set to better her community.
Guzzetti said she believes in people over profits, and making sure the interests of all people are represented. She said she is especially passionate about making sure the interests of youth and of “helpers,” or hardworking people in the community, are represented.
“The more that I talk to each of these groups and really listen to the incredible dedication and hard work that they’re doing, the more I realize it’s important for the state to help those helpers, remove obstacles that might be in their way,” said Guzzetti.
She hopes to address affordable housing, affordable health care and child care, women’s rights and bodily autonomy, reproductive health care, safety and economic security, and climate change.
“The more I realized how many people were facing these sorts of challenges and problems … the more I started to believe, or know, because of my experience, that we can build these systems in ways that work better for people,” said Guzzetti.
Guzzetti said she hopes to take her experience as an analyst and scientist to work on data driven policy solutions that have results.
One of the things Guzzetti said she enjoys about the community is the way people care for each other, and she hopes to bring that characteristic to the Senate.
“People always step up to help their neighbors,” said Guzzetti. “What I would like is to bring the individual value of caring to the government level.”
For more information, visit jean-and-me.com.
Denise Tepler
Denise Tepler (LCN file photo)
With her bid for the Democratic nomination for Senate, Tepler hopes to address affordable health care and women’s rights.
From Philadelphia, Tepler moved to Topsham in 1983 with her husband.
Prior to her relocation, Tepler worked as an editor in the publications department and taught anthropology in night school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Tepler has also worked in collections at Bowdoin College’s Arctic Museum, taught anthropology at the University of Southern Maine and University of Maine at Augusta, taught cooking through Merrymeeting Adult Education, of Topsham, and worked in nonprofit program evaluation.
Public service has always been part of Tepler’s life, with her mother taking on many roles in the community when Tepler was growing up.
“I think it was a gift from my mother to teach me how important community involvement is,” said Tepler.
Tepler served four terms as Topsham’s representative in the Maine House, finishing her final term in 2022. She served as the chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, and served on the Taxation Committee and the Appropriations Committee.
Prior to her legislative service, Tepler was a member of the MSAD 75 School Board for six years, and was on the finance committee for the town of Topsham for six years. She is the former chair of the Sagadahoc Democrats.
She also currently serves on the boards of the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, the Maine Public Health Association, and the Highland’s Residents Assistance Fund.
Tepler said she is running for Senate District 24 because she feels that there is work she left undone, and she wants to remain active in public service in her community.
“It takes a long time to get things done in the legislature and there were things that I was working on that remain unfinished that I really care about,” said Tepler. “I hold my democratic values dear … I care about freedom, I care about democracy, and I care about community.”
Tepler hopes to address the increased cost of living, issues of tax fairness, improving access to health care and cutting its cost, protecting women’s reproductive rights, improving maternal and child health outcomes, and mitigating the impact of climate change on Maine communities.
Tepler believes her previous experiences in public service have equipped her to make a meaningful impact in the Senate.
“I really learned a lot about how to get a bill across the line, how to build a coalition, how to deal with my fellow legislators, how to work across the aisle when it’s possible, and how to work with the governor and all the staff in the executive branch,” said Tepler.
For more information, visit denisetepler.mainecandidate.com.
