This November voters in Knox County will have very clear choices between the candidates running for various state and local offices, from re-electing Gov. Paul LePage to a number of state Legislature seats held by long-time incumbents, and for the open seat for the newly created Senate District 12.

Paula Sutton is the smart choice for voters to represent Knox County in our state Senate, not because she is a third-generation Mainer or even because she has been a successful entrepreneur-businesswoman who knows from first-hand experience how to make a dollar on her own and how to stretch a dollar to balance a budget.

The most compelling reason to vote for Paula Sutton is that she is her own woman and cares as much about making sure a social safety net is there for people who truly need it as she is passionate about creating an economic environment in our state that will grow the overall tax base to afford necessary state programs.

Paula is both savvy and compassionate. She firmly believes that a thriving private sector is essential to providing a sustainable future for younger generations to remain in Maine, and that state government has to be more prudent in allocating state revenues in order to prevent generational theft and out-migration. At the same time, she is passionate about providing Mainers the educational resources and opportunities for future generations so that they can stay in their home state.

And while she understands the need for careful stewardship of state resources, and improving our state's educational performance at all levels is essential for providing a vibrant and sustainable economic base that can benefits all of Maine's citizens, she strongly believes that over-regulating private industry inhibits growth of our state economy.

Paula is a go-getter who is not afraid to ask hard questions. She is fiercely independent and will put the needs of here constituents above the interests of partisan politics.

Knox County needs independent, balanced, energetic, thoughtful and focused representation in Augusta, and Paula Sutton will bring all of that, and more, to the State Senate. She will be a tenacious, rock solid advocate for the needs and interests of her district, both for individual residents and the county as a whole.

Nick Lapham lives in Tenants Harbor.