When I first set out knocking on doors as I ran for the Buckfield Select Board, I can’t lie- I was incredibly nervous. Any anxieties that could come into my head, did. Would anyone like me? Would anyone share my vision? Why does my voice have to shake so much?

For those who don’t know, the select board is a non-partisan office.

This brought another question - how would I know who is on my “team”? How would they know if I’m on theirs?

This question was answered easily, with each door I knocked on. What I found as I drove down bumpy roads talking to those on the left, right, and somewhere in between, was endless amounts of curiosity and support. Some knew me growing up, and shared familiar smiles and stories of days passed by. Many had no idea who I was, and paid me the kindness of listening to me stumble through explaining why I wanted to serve them on the Board.

And it didn’t matter which administrations had come, or gone, or who currently served. We were all struggling together. To pay for a place to live. For our cars and their upkeep. For the ever-increasing costs on our grocery receipts and electric bills. For our medical bills that pile up with too much ease, or for the care of teeth we prefer stay in our mouths. For our children’s passions, or their education; funded through a formula married to our homes that are already so expensive to keep.

The answer I found was that there are no teams. Not how we’re often told there are, between left and right. Whatever label one neighbor gave themselves or another, we all shared in these same struggles. And we all hated to watch each other go through them.

I want to find and fight for policies that make it so we don’t have to anymore. Every Mainer deserves a life of dignity; Fair wages, fair costs, and a well balanced life between work, home, and recreation.

I can tell when I speak to my neighbors that I carry something many no longer do. Some would call it hope, others may call it naiveté.

I have memories of our vibrant towns before the recession of 2008. In Buckfield, of the many corner stores, restaurants, the Buckfield Inn, the Oddfellow Theatre. When I came home after studying Tourism and Hospitality Management in a program focused on an anthropologic approach, I looked upon my hometown through that lens. Maine has been known as “Vacationland” for years, and increasingly people are venturing inland, away from our stunning and favored coast. I truly do believe our community would have so much to offer to those who come, but I’ve come to discover that I can’t even think that far ahead.

How can we invite people into our home when we don’t have enough resources to even provide for ourselves?

I recognize what a boon tourism has provided to some of our Maine communities, but I also am clear eyed on what this title of “Vacationland” has done to us as well. Our beautiful state has become a playground for the wealthy, while my neighbors, who stayed the course of getting an education, a job, a house, raising a family, cannot keep up with the cost of living here.

Serving on the town level, I recognize now one thing is for sure - the path we are on is untenable. Our infrastructure is deteriorating faster than our communities can afford to fix it. This is compounded by the recent events of inclement weather, costing our small towns additional and unbudgeted expenses. Our needs have far outgrown the depths of our pockets. Hospitals across the state are closing, and many are left scared that ours could be next. Our small businesses, like the ones I work for, struggle to pay their employees a fair wage as the economy relies so heavily on wavering, often tourist driven dollars. Providing healthcare for us is a wish they cannot afford.

We deserve better, and you deserve a representative who lives alongside you in this everyday struggle. I, like you, struggle to find a balance with this all. I believe we can build a system that truly serves us.

Growing up, I was blessed with the gift of a small school. That’s not to say it didn’t have it’s imperfections, or even failures.  But not everyone has the chance to attend a school with its own food-producing garden, gaggle of pigs and rabbits, and working sugar shack. Attending Buckfield High School gave me those opportunities which I have carried with me, and for that I am continually grateful.

Our schools now face enormous struggles.

• Aging facilities which are increasingly expensive to heat in the winter, and as time goes on, now require more cooling capabilities near the summers.

• Teachers who are underpaid and overworked. The fulfillment that historically feeds their care and passion, derived from the curiosity sparked in their students when beginning to understand or engage with a subject, fades more as we struggle to keep our children’s attention or emotions in check. This directly conflicting with expectations from administrators and Federal standards which blanket all students, no matter their abilities or the nuances we see in our children.

• A student body facing many struggles- a lack of funding, and therefore resources, to set the up for their best chance at success. What they lack at home shows up throughout the school day, causing disruption and unease for other children.

• Maintenance costs climbing steadily as a result of inflation, or even corporate greed.

And yet at the Municipal level, we see over 50% of our property taxes diverted from our service and infrastructure needs to fund our school budget.

I believe my community wants their neighbors to be educated. I understand why it cannot come at the cost of their home security.

The State of Maine must take sweeping action to address this issue, and what I currently see moving through the legislature is not enough to keep our fixed-income or lower-class neighbors in their homes.

I spent most of my time as a child working on and exploring my grandparents farmland; running my hands over the soft hairs of horses, goats, and Highland Cattle. Tripping on the rocky soil, splashing in the Darnit Brook, and staring up at vibrant, starry night skies.

I want to protect these spaces for generations to come, while responsibly managing the industries that keep food on our tables and money in our communities.

Today you can often find me taking advantage of the Western Foothills Land Trust’s steadfast work in protecting our local environment, thanks to their conservation and stewardship of natural spaces in our communities.