AUGUSTA — If she hadn’t been a public servant, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe might have been a member of the United Bikers of Maine.

Snowe, who was honored by the group Wednesday at the Blaine House, said she had a motorcycle and a permit to ride when she was in the state Legislature in the 1970s. But her political career took off and she never got her license.

Additional Photos

Sen. Olympia Snowe and her husband, former Gov. John McKernan, second from right, sign posters during the United Bikers of Maine annual tea at the Blaine House in Augusta. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

Through the years since then, she has enjoyed being a passenger.

“I love riding, the feeling of being out on the open road,” she said. “It’s a measure of freedom you don’t ordinarily get. I did a lot of riding over the years.”

Snowe, 65, talked about her love of riding after the annual United Bikers of Maine Governor’s Tea. It’s a tradition that began in the late 1980s, when Snowe’s husband, John McKernan, was governor.

This year, the tea was a more high-powered event than usual, with Snowe, McKernan, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and Gov. Paul LePage attending. Representatives of Maine’s two other members of Congress – Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Chellie Pingree – also spoke briefly at the event.

While the tea is typically designed to raise awareness of safety issues heading into each motorcycle season, the group added a dimension this year by honoring Snowe for her support of its issues.

Snowe supports the group’s motto when it comes to helmet use – “let those who ride decide” – and sponsored federal legislation in 1992 to roll back penalties against states that failed to mandate helmet use.

“It only requires common sense,” she said. “It’s doesn’t require a law.”

For Wednesday’s event, about 40 bikers braved the cold to ride to the governor’s mansion, where bikers wearing leather vests covered with patches mingled with Snowe and McKernan, each of whom wore a United Bikers of Maine lapel pin.

Tim Fournier, vice president of the bikers’ group, presented Snowe with a plaque and lifetime membership. He thanked her for attending the bikers’ annual Toy Run, which is held every September in Augusta.

And, Fournier noted, she has been honored as a Freedom Fighter by the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in South Dakota.

“Sen. Snowe’s accomplishments have earned her national recognition,” he said.

State House Writer Susan Cover can be contacted at 620-7015 or at:

scover@mainetoday.com

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