Chellie Pingree never anticipated a life in politics. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Maine, she raised her kids and ran a small business. She served on the school board and as the local tax assessor, a job no one else in town wanted. But in 1991, when she was approached about running for State Senate, she jumped at the chance.
She scored a remarkable upset, defeating a popular Republican, and went on to serve four terms in the Maine Senate. But throughout her political career, from Augusta to Washington and beyond, the lessons she learned on North Haven have always been her guide: Be accountable to your neighbors, and always use your common sense.
It's hard to imagine a place like Maine without its working waterfronts. They're not only an iconic part of our state's history and landscape, but an irreplaceable resource for 30,000 thousand Mainers who make their living from marine-related industries.
But as valuable as they are to our communities, they make up only 20 miles of our 3,300-mile coastline. That makes them extremely vulnerable, since a development here or a few condos there can swallow a large percentage of what working land remains. Other emerging threats include climate change and ocean acidification.
We need tools to protect these valuable spots and ensure that Mainers can continue to make their living from the sea.