I had the great privilege of serving with Rep. Paul McGowan in the Maine House of Representatives for the past two years, where we both also served on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. His death is a heavy loss to his legislative colleagues, constituents, family and friends.

In tributes to his public service, Paul has been described as “passionate.” While meant as a compliment, this term falls short, for it implies that his views and work were overly motivated by emotion. In fact, Paul was our unwavering moral compass, and his comments were always based on hard, irrefutable facts. It was Paul who eloquently and convincingly reminded committee and House members how a policy would affect the common man or woman and our world, something too often lost in the welter of debate. When he spoke, the room grew quiet for even those who could not vote with him understood the well of compassion and knowledge from which his words flowed. He was also a tireless advocate who overcame numerous obstacles to see the enactment of his bill establishing a study on the high rate of cancer in Maine. Paul cared for “the people,” but his compassion also applied to individuals. Paul was beloved in the halls of the State House, and will be sorely missed.

Rep. Janice Cooper

D-Yarmouth