My late husband drove our Representative S. Paige Zeigler to meet his constituents for his first two election cycles. When my husband complained that Paige wasn't liberal enough, Zeigler said, “Remember, I represent all the people of my district.”

Paige also must see how our district (Belmont, Liberty, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill, Palermo and Searsmont) best fits into the state of Maine's needs.

Representative Zeigler is particularly passionate about two subjects he knows well — climate and education — and sits on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Our region is strongly affected by climate change as warming and more acidic oceans damage lobster fishing and clamming. As a former professional logger, Paige knows that trees are affected by warmer air and the violent winds that now accompany normal storms. Our new farms face more unpredictable seasons.

Environmental issues are based in science and help lead to Representative Zeigler's strong interest in education. Science is not a social agenda but critical to community college. Food service, medicine and nursing, electricity, plumbing and my husband's love, welding, are all based on science. These are the careers we need to grow our economy besides those through the University of Maine.

I always love conversations with Paige because of his decades on ships, logging, as a teacher and chair of the RSU 3 school board. When he delivered campaign postcards to my house, he wore a mask. Sadly, when his opponent, Mrs. Smith, came to my home, she did not wear a mask, putting my health as an older voter at risk. Where Mrs. Smith has stated her goals for education, I saw no mention of science. Sliding backward to an uneducated time will not move Maine forward.

Especially following the senseless spread of coronavirus, our region needs a strong, experienced leader to grow our economy and to effectively use our tax dollars in educating our kids. Vote to reelect the one person with the experience and knowledge to lead our district into the future, Representative Stanley Paige Zeigler.

Leslie Woods lives in Montville