Dear Editor:

Unifying voice.

I am so pleased to have a candidate like Erin Herbig on the ticket for November's upcoming Maine Senate District #11 race. She currently serves as House Representative for District #97 and has earned the validation of her peers to serve as the Majority Leader.

Erin's main goal is to strengthen Maine communities so that they can provide the opportunities needed to keep our young people here in Maine. As a fifth generation Waldo County resident, she understands what makes local communities tick and what we need to do to help rural Maine thrive.

For example, Erin has been a fantastic friend to Waldo County's first responder community. Firefighters, EMS providers, and law enforcement, are the backbone of our community's security. When local fire chiefs described to Erin the struggles they have in attracting people to join their services, she sponsored, and successfully advocated for a bill to improve the recruitment and retention of firefighters.

Not only are her positions on issues important, but also the way she conducts herself. I believe in "playing fair" and "playing nice." I have always been proud of Maine's history of public servants, like Margaret Chase Smith, Edmund Muskie, George Mitchell, and Olympia Snowe, whose commitment to the US democratic process is strong and clear: to fight for what they believe in with decorum, modesty, and humility.

I believe Erin is that kind of leader and she deserves our support.

Elise Brown
Liberty