Endorsements
My family and my education have contributed to a strong ethic of civic engagement and service to my community.
In my career, I served as a teacher and an educator for 30+ years, with experience in the classroom, and in the mental health field. My teaching career spanned three states, including Maine and all grade levels. I served on the Writing Advisory Committee and conducted teacher trainings for the State of Kentucky.
After retiring from the public education system, I worked at Museum L-A, now the Maine MILL, honoring the textile, shoe and industrial workers of the Lewiston Auburn area.
Since my retirement, I have spent the last decade contributing to my town and community. I have served on the Norway Budget Committee, the Comprehensive Planning Committee, the Norway Downtown Design and Development, and the Climate Action Advisory Committee. I was a founding member of Norway Landmarks Preservation Society (Friends of the Gingerbread House).
As a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA), I worked with children in the foster care system.
As a Master Gardener, I contribute time and labor to the Oxford County Extension gardens and the Norway Memorial Library gardens.
As a mother, grandmother, and former caregiver to my mother and my husband, I am committed to a model of community that is rooted in fairness, compassion, and dignity for all generations.
I am member of the Norway and West Paris Unitarian Universalist Churches
I have spent all of my adult life advocating for reproductive justice, women’s rights, the environment, and a sustainable economy that is fair to all. I appreciate the chance to take on the challenge of working in the legislature to work to make that vision real.
To grow sustainably, small towns and the outskirts of small towns need transportation options, continued broadband expansion and housing for the citizens who live and work here. Housing, transportation, and employment opportunities need to be targeted to preserve the quality of life in places like Western Maine. Small towns have benefitted both financially and environmentally, from policies which assist them in energy efficiency and in moving to renewable energy solutions. These must be continued and expanded.
In recent years, devastating climate events have damaged businesses and individuals both physically and economically. Maine needs to continue to extend its efforts to help our communities prepare for these events and to promote renewable energy policies. We need to more to transition to an economy based on renewable resources and to build an infrastructure that will help move forward from climate related events.
Women’s rights are human rights. Women should have full equality and the freedom to make their own decisions on reproductive rights, including abortion and contraception. An amendment to the Maine constitution ensuring this freedom, would prevent the endless attempts to limit this right in Maine. Women also have a right to safety from harassment and from physical injury. There must be adequate funding to insure that violators are prosecuted and programs are in place to protect the women, men, and LGBTQ people who are in vulnerable situations.
Maine teachers and school staff are dedicated and hard working. I support continued work on an equitable funding formula that benefits all Maine schools. With 26% of the children in District 81 living at poverty level, all the associated benefits of public school education, such as nutrition programs, pre-school programs, support for public libraries, and mental health services are crucial for the future of Maine’s civic life. I would advocate for and support strong hourly wages and competitive salaries and benefits for teachers, support staff and school personnel in all capacities.
The current crisis in housing will require a targeted approach to making housing more affordable. Young people looking for their first home, seniors who wish to remain in their communities, the unhoused, and those suffering from addiction and economic insecurity require a variety of solutions. These solutions need to be timely, but also aimed at a sustainable future. I support sustainable development, co-housing initiatives, rent stabilization, and programs which allow Maine’s older housing stock to be upgraded and made more efficient allowing people to remain in their homes.
I am honored to support Joan Beal. She has already proven herself a thoughtful and dedicated citizen of western Maine. I am excited to see how she will lead District 81.
Norway’s Gingerbread House was an endangered derelict landmark on Main Street. It was loved by many but most people believed it would deteriorate to the point of needing to be demolished.
As a founding member of the Norway Landmarks Preservation Society, Joan joined a small group of other townspeople in beginning the process of saving the building. The entire building was moved down Main St. and, over the course of 14 years, its exterior was so well rehabilitated that it recently won a Maine Preservation Honor Award as a model grassroots preservation project. Maine Preservation has been granted easements on the building to ensure that it will continue to be a proud and attractive entrance to Norway’s western gateway.
Whereas it was once an empty shell and an eyesore, it is now being placed on the real estate market for a new readapted life and will serve as an economic contributor to the town’s Historic District.
During these years, Joan served as Secretary to the Board, wrote grants, swept up plaster, moved building materials, removed old windows and helped to organize tours and open house events.