Let's be honest. We Mainers really love our state. From the dramatic change of seasons to our incredible wildlife, from our amazing lakes to our beautiful coast - Maine isn't just where we have chosen to live, it's what we have chosen to love.

A big part of being a Mainer is knowing the history of this state. From the native Americans fishing and trapping, to today's mining and tourism industries, Maine has seen a lot of industrial changes. Curious, isn't it, that no one thought to collect and display the history of our state's industrial progress over  the centuries? No one, that is until Mike Mullins.

Mike is my neighbor, and although he looks and talks just like everyone else, his mind thinks differently. On September 21, Mike announced that he had purchased 25 Rankin Street in Rockland (previously Miller's Garage) to convert the 10,000 square foot building into the Maine Museum of Industry (MaineMuseum.org). With a background in historic preservation and an eye on the future, Mike will highlight the unique history of Maine while preparing to present Maine's uniqueness to our posterity.

But Mike isn't all about our history – he's about making it, too. He's a candidate for the Maine house District 93, representing Rockland and Owls Head. I hope you vote for Mike for the same reason I will: Mike loves our history and deserves to be a part of Maine's future.

Don Robishaw, Jr., lives in Rockland