letter to the editor

Thu, 10/06/2022 - 12:30pm

Sharon Goguen

I am retired after 44 years as a teacher and administrator in Waldo County. I have also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations that have or still do provide needed services to the greater Belfast community. In these various roles, I have had occasion to work with many state legislators, and so it is with knowledge and experience that I can say Chip Curry is one of the best.

I have known Chip for about 20 years and worked with his wife, Chris. I find Chip to be attentive and present in all his interactions, be they social or professional, to genuinely care about people and their concerns, and to be willing to research and dig into issues that impact his constituents.

Since I am an educator, I have been most interested in Chip’s efforts supporting communities to improve the outcomes for children and young adults.

As a legislator, he has served on the Legislative Task Force on Quality Afterschool Programming, the Maine Commission for Community Service, and the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism.

Chip currently serves on the board of the Waldo Community Action Partners and as an advisor for the Maine Community Foundation's Waldo County Fund. Chip champions our rural hospitals, health centers, EMS providers, and behavioral health clinicians, seeking better funding and support. All of these efforts will support children and families.

For adults and those seeking to join the workforce for the first time, we need fast, affordable, and accessible ways for people to earn credentials that set them up for good paying jobs right here in Waldo County. We need to put a specific focus on preparing people for high wage, high growth fields including: the trades, technology, health care, and our heritage industries such as ship building, farming, fisheries, and aquaculture.

Chip is a strong proponent of developing and funding appropriate opportunities in this area.

I am proud to support Chip’s reelection to the Maine State Senate.

Sharon Goguen lives in Belfast