On November 6 citizens in Camden, Rockport, and Islesboro will decide who will go to Augusta to represent our community. I want to share my personal experience with our current Representative, Owen Casas.

As the mother of an adult child with autism and significant developmental challenges, I have worked tirelessly to provide the best care and services for my son. I am not only my son’s parent but also a well-educated, strong, and passionate advocate. Although I greatly appreciate our state government providing resources and services my son clearly cannot do without, dealing with the massive amounts of Health and Human Services red tape and questionable interpretations of law, procedures, and rule has become an all-encompassing full time task.

A few months after Owen was elected I was faced with significant challenges with our home support services provider. With a wide range of complex concerns, as a constituent I reached out to Owen for assistance. He never hesitated to help and has remained a constant advocate supporting both my son and our family.  

What truly impressed me about my interactions with Owen was he was openly accessible, always easy to reach, as well as thoughtful and genuine in his desire to understand the issue. If he was not immediately available he always called back, including weeks where we talked nearly every day. Owen dove right in conducting extensive research in order to gain understanding of the complexities involved with Health and Human Services Section 21 because both he and I agreed that if I was facing these challenges – many others across the state must be as well. 

I would encourage the citizens of District 94 to vote for Owen because not only has he stood by my side during these difficult times, but because he now knows significantly more about the flaws within our state system. I am proud to have a representative who actively engages his constituents and who takes ownership of the effort and partnerships needed to work toward reasonable solutions. I am confident Owen will continue to advocate for special needs individuals and will work hard to simplify our current state bureaucracy.

Pam Pendleton lives in Camden