I have long been a strong supporter of Former Maine Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree and hoped that she would run for Governor of Maine.

Hannah has proven to me that she gets things done and she listens to all Maine voters, not just those who agree with her. She focuses on solving problems and understands that good government requires collaboration, respect, and strong leadership.

In 2005, after I had served more than 20 years as a certified English teacher and over a decade teaching theater, the Maine Board of Education introduced a new requirement that all theater teachers earn 32 academic theater credits. There had never been a specific theater certification before.

As chair of the Maine Drama Council, I knew many experienced teachers wouldn’t qualify under the new rule. While we supported the certification requirement, we believed veteran teachers deserved some flexibility—especially amid growing recruitment and retention challenges in Maine schools.

Hannah helped us present that case to the Board, but our request was denied. Believing our proposal was fair and practical, she then sponsored legislation to grandfather teachers who had been teaching theater for at least five years. The bill passed easily.

Hannah works tirelessly on behalf of people in her local community and across the State. I’ve experienced that firsthand.

While my background is in education, Hannah recognizes that two of the biggest challenges facing our state are housing and health care. She has concrete and commonsense plans that will address Maine’s affordable housing shortage and she has proposed a Maine health care plan aimed at expanding access and lowering costs for families and small businesses.

Most importantly, I know from experience that Hannah will represent all people in Maine. She is the best choice to lead our state for the next four years.

Rick Ash lives in Rockport