Camden resident Marcus Mrowka has announced his candidacy for Maine State House District 41, representing Camden and Rockport.

Mrowka is currently Chair of the Five Town CSD School Board and has served two terms on the board.

In a Dec. 10 news release, Mrowka said he has seen how the issues facing our communities impact students and our schools and is motivated to run for the State House to take on those issues.

He intends to fight for working people and small businesses in the community with a focus on affordability, opportunity, and defending freedoms. Mrowka released the following message to the community announcing his candidacy:

I’m Marcus Mrowka, and I’m running for State House to fight for the working people and small businesses in Camden and Rockport. I’ve spent my career in the labor movement fighting alongside working people to secure good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, great public schools, and a path to a better future. As your School Board Chair, I’ve led with a commitment to providing every student in our community with the world-class public education they deserve. 

As your Representative in Augusta, I’ll fight every day to make life more affordable for you, to strengthen our schools, to support the small businesses that power our communities, and to defend our freedoms against the attacks coming from Washington. 

I want to hear from you about the challenges you face in our district and the solutions you want me to fight for. You can fill out this survey or send me a message. I’d love to meet you for coffee (if you see me at Zoot say hi), visit your business or nonprofit, join your event, or just chat on the phone. 

What I’ll Fight For

Affordability

"I believe that if you work in Camden and Rockport, you should be able to afford to live in Camden and Rockport. That’s becoming impossible as rising costs push people out of our communities. We’re seeing it in our schools with declining enrollment due to skyrocketing housing costs. I refuse to sit by and let Camden and Rockport be places for the wealthy few and AirBnB owners. I will fight for vibrant communities where people live, work, raise families, and thrive. 

I understand these challenges because I’ve been in the thick of it for decades, I’ve served in and understand how state government works, and I will bring this experience to deliver the solutions and relief you need. 

In the State House, I’ll fight to expand housing and make it easier and less costly to build, for universal childcare and pre-k, to bring down healthcare costs and make Maine a leader in delivering affordable healthcare for all, for strong unions, for property tax relief, I’ll take on skyrocketing utility costs, and support our local industries. 

Opportunity

I’ve fought for the schools that all kids, families, and teachers deserve as a leader with the American Federation of Teachers union, the Maine Department of Education, and as your School Board Chair. Growing up in a dangerous home with parents facing severe addiction and mental health issues, it was my public schools and teachers who made me who I am. I want to make sure those same opportunities exist for every student. 

I’m proud that during my two terms on our School Board and as Chair, we’ve expanded hands-on and outdoor learning opportunities, created the state’s first nature-based pre-k program, strengthened our innovation center, committed to vibrant athletic and performing arts programs, banned phones, and focused on providing students with multiple pathways for them to succeed. I’ll continue to advocate for these investments and policies you and your family deserve – for additional state funding and to fix a funding formula that unfairly burdens coastal communities like ours, for additional investments in Career and Technical Education and the trades, for universal pre-K, and for free community college. I’ll fight to invest in our educators and treat teaching like the valued and respected profession it is. 

I’ll also have the backs of our small businesses that are foundational to the economic and overall success of our communities. I want to make it easier for members of our communities to start and sustain small businesses. That means reducing costs and red tape, providing more start-up funding, and ensuring nobody has to give up on their dreams because they can’t afford health care. I started a business myself last year, and I want to partner with others on an agenda that supports the small businesses that call our community home. 

Defending Our Freedoms

The Trump administration has abandoned working people while targeting states like Maine and attacking our basic rights and freedoms. State Houses are the first line of defense against federal overreach, and we need representatives in Augusta who will fight Trump's cruel agenda to strengthen our democracy and protect our rights. I’ve never shied away from a bully, and I don’t intend to start now. 

Listening and Leading

Leadership means showing up, listening, and embracing accountability. That’s how I’ve led throughout my career and as Chair of the School Board. From attending performances, games, and events to spending time in our schools with students and educators, I’ve built a track record of showing up, listening, and learning. I’ll do the same as your Representative, and I promise to always be accountable to you. I will always listen, even if we don’t always agree. I’ll work with anyone who wants to get things done for the benefit of working people and small businesses in our community. 

We are in a defining moment for our communities and for our nation. I believe my policy and advocacy track record at the local, state, and national level, my proven leadership, and my own life experiences position me to be the strong voice we need in Augusta. I’ve always been someone who rolls up their sleeves and works to make life better for people, and I’ve been an active part of the Camden community since making this my chosen home. My partner Liam and I are proud to call Camden home, and I simply can’t imagine living anywhere else. 

I hope to earn your vote, and together we can ensure Camden and Rockport are vibrant communities for all. Check out my website, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram, or send me a message. 

About Marcus

Marcus Mrowka is a dedicated public education advocate, strategic communications professional, and active community leader who lives in Camden. He currently serves as Chair of the Five Town CSD School Board and a member of the Camden-Rockport Schools School Board, demonstrating a deep commitment to ensuring high-quality, equitable education for all students. He is running to represent Camden and Rockport in the State House to be a strong voice for working people and small businesses in the community. 

As the owner of Victura Strategies, a strategic communications consulting firm for nonprofits, campaigns, and unions, Marcus leverages extensive experience gained at both the state and national levels. He has spent his career advancing economic and educational opportunity for all, as Senior Director of Communications at the American Federation of Teachers, Director of Communications at the Maine Department of Education, Vice President of Communications at the Roosevelt Institute, and a variety of communications roles at the Service Employees International Union.

His work has been profiled in the New York Times Magazine, credited in Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, and his writings have been published in the Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, and elsewhere. He has served two terms on his local school board and previously served on the board of the Mid-Coast School of Technology and as a member of the Maine Democratic Party State Committee. 

His professional and volunteer work underscores a belief in strong public schools as vital hubs of community life and innovation and the need to dramatically reshape our economy to prioritize working families over billionaires and big corporations. 

Marcus lives in Camden with his partner, Liam, their two dogs Abby and Lady Bird, and their cat Binx, and can often be found working from his laptop at Zoot.