As November 8th nears, voters in House District 54 (Farmingdale & Gardiner) will cast their votes for our next State Representative. The choice is clear, and I will cast my vote for Karen Montell.

Karen’s involvement in our community has helped prepare her for the job she is seeking. As a former substitute teacher, she recognizes the importance of public schools - and the many challenges the education system has faced, particularly during the pandemic. As a small business owner, she understands the triumphs and problems a business owner faces - whether they’re just starting, or have been doing the job for years. Her work as a nonpartisan committee clerk in the Legislature reinforced her commitment to collaboration and bipartisanship in what are now often divisive times.

But at the very core of who she is, Karen is empathetic, receptive, and a great listener.

I’m proud to cast my vote for Karen Montell.

"Karen is the right person to serve District 54 in Augusta. We need wonderful, vibrant people like Karen to serve us in the Legislature. I hope you'll consider voting for Karen on Tuesday, November 8th."

"When I am considering the candidate who gets my vote, I look at many things. Two are at the top of my list:

Is the candidate a part of the community and a person who understands the needs of that community; and

Is the candidate a person who can step into the office they are seeking and get to work on Day 1.

Fortunately for me and the voters in House District #54, the residents of Farmingdale and Gardiner, only one candidate, Karen Montell, checks both of those boxes.

Karen was born in Gardiner and has lived most of her life in the community she is seeking to serve. She went to school and raised her family here. Her roots run deep.

Those decades spent in our community have provided Karen with firsthand knowledge of the issues facing our community and its residents. She knows the people she will be serving and has an innate understanding of their hopes and dreams, as well as the daily challenges they face.

The only way one acquires that type of knowledge is by being a longstanding member of our community. In addition to having been a part of the district for so many years, Karen has been knocking on doors talking and listening to her friends and neighbors and learning what they want from their elected officials. There is simply no substitute for that experience.

Karen is also a person who understands how things work in Augusta. She has worked as a non-partisan employee in the Maine Legislature, having most recently served as the Committee Clerk for the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. In that position, Karen has learned what it takes to be a successful member of the Maine Legislature. She has seen how members from different parties can come together to craft laws and policies that benefit all Mainers.

Having been a member of the Legislature for the last four years, I know how hard Committee Clerks work and what an asset they are to the Legislature. They serve all the members of their committees without regard to political affiliation.

Karen is uniquely positioned to use the knowledge she has gained in that position and will be able to be an effective legislator beginning the day she is sworn in. She understands the issues and has seen how one becomes an effective public servant. She will work hard and represent all her constituents. Of that I have no doubt.

Please join me in supporting Karen Montell for Representative in House District #54."

"Karen is an independent thinker who will put people over politics and work hard to represent all of her constituents."

"Karen was one of the first persons to welcome my wife and me to Gardiner. While we don't always agree, I find her opinions well reasoned. As an independent voter, that's what I'm looking for - someone who approaches issues with compassion and fairness. I believe Karen does just that. She's got my vote."

"Karen always stands up for what she believes in, and I know that she will always look out for the people of our community."