Voters shouldn’t forget that it won’t be only the Democratic and Republican candidates who run for governor this coming November. Nor should they forget the unfortunate and unproductive partisanship in Augusta that the two big parties have presided over in recent years. Voters who don’t like that partisanship should consider Terry Hayes, Maine’s current state treasurer and an independent candidate for governor.

Terry, a former Democratic legislator, came to the conclusion that party loyalty can often conflict with public servants’ loyalty to the people they are supposed to be working for. So she became an independent and, as such, has performed in a nonpartisan way as treasurer (a position to which she was elected by members of both parties in the Legislature).

I had the pleasure of meeting Terry at a reception in South Thomaston back in February and was impressed with her understanding of Maine’s problems (including that of partisanship) and with her proposals for remedying them. I have also met and listened to the gubernatorial candidates for the big parties and was saddened by their inevitable calls for partisan loyalty.

Terry’s support of Maine’s Clean Election program and of ranked-choice voting proves to me that she understands how politics-as-usual is holding Maine back and that she will work hard for programs that can move our state forward.

Charlie Graham

Camden

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