Lori Gramlich Courtesy Photo

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Incumbent Democratic Representative Lori K. Gramlich announced her re-election bid for House District 131, which includes the town of Old Orchard Beach.

Gramlich in a news release said she has submitted paperwork to run as a Clean Elections candidate, adding she cares about the integrity of the state and believes “we must get the money out of politics.”

Currently serving a second legislative term, Gramlich said she has been an advocate for assuring Mainers have safe, clean, accessible drinking water and has worked on addressing and remediating beach erosion.

Gramlich noted she has previously introduced and passed legislation aimed at providing treatment and services for children and adults with behavioral health issues and has submitted legislation to increase childcare resources for working families. She said she has supported numerous policies to improve access to affordable health care, stabilize property taxes, and combat the opioid crisis.

“From protecting our environment, to protecting our kids from abuse, to assuring our older Mainers can remain in their homes, to working hard for our business community to thrive to leveraging relationships with the Maine Department of Transportation to assure we have solutions to traffic issues impacting our town, my number one priority remains to be focused on representing the needs and interests of our community,” said Gramlich in the news release. “While we have made progress addressing these critical issues, we have more work to do. I am eager to return to the State House to continue to find solutions that will improve the lives of people in Old Orchard Beach and the State of Maine; I will never stop working for you.”

Gramlich is a member of the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Taxation Committee. She is an appointee to the National Council of State Legislatures Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee and the Council of State Governments Shared State Legislation Committee. She is active in the Maine Legislature’s Behavioral Health Caucus and said she helped organize a Mental Health Summit in November 2021.

Gramlich received her master’s degree in social work from the University of New England in Biddeford, has 35 years of experience in nonprofit, prevention-based social work, public health, advocacy, and social justice initiatives and is on the faculty for the University of Southern Maine School of Social Work.

She is vice president of the Friends of the Ballpark, is an associate member of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Ocean Park Association.

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