Lewiston’s Nate Libby stepping down as Senate majority leader

Senate Majority Leader Nate Libby, D-Lewiston

Four-term state Sen. Nate Libby said Monday he’s going to scale back his legislative work by giving up his position as majority leader.

Libby, a Democrat from Lewiston, said he’ll remain as a senator but since taking a job in December as president of Community Concepts Finance Corp., he no longer has time for the many commitments that a leadership post carries.

Libby said he’ll give up the post on Feb. 1, when Democrats in the Senate will elect a new majority leader to serve as second-in-command to Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash.

Jackson called Libby “an extraordinary partner in leadership” who has become a trusted ally and friend.

“Serving in legislative leadership hasn’t always been easy but I could always count on Sen. Libby to bounce ideas off, come up with creative solutions and thoughtfully guide our caucus forward,” Jackson said. “From the beginning, Sen. Libby has given our caucus everything that he had.”

Libby said that with his new jobs, his “growing family has made sacrifices to allow me to meet the demands of serving in the legislative leadership. They need and deserve more of my time, and while this decision is extremely difficult for me to make, it’s for that reason I know I’ve made the right one.”

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, said Libby has been “an incredible teacher and mentor.”

Libby’s term ends in 2022, when he is not eligible to run for reelection.

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