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All of us have had a teacher, coach or counselor — someone in our educational experience — who made a positive difference in our lives. For me, it was Miss Houston at Underwood Hills Elementary School in Sandy Springs, Georgia. She made a difference in my life because she cared enough to care. She was the best of what a teacher can be.
I’m sure we can all agree that children are the future of Maine. Let’s face it, we geezers aren’t going to be around forever, and our young folks need to be supported in their educational and professional dreams if they are going to remain in Maine and make our state thrive the way we all know it can.
I’ve gotten to know Cameron Reny, the candidate for Senate District 13, through a number of opportunities I’ve had to hear her speak and chances I’ve had to interact with her on a one-on-one basis. Raised in a working-class family in Bristol, she worked her way through undergraduate and graduate school. She knows the value of a dollar.
Reny is a helper by temperament and profession. In her eight years as a school counselor, she’s demonstrated a talent for consensus-building and has notched a successful record working closely with a broad range of groups building consensus and creating positive outcomes on tough issues for everyday folks.
Reny has a proven track record of bringing people together. We need her as a senator in Augusta to lead the discussion and to advocate for the voices of those who cannot buy influence or power — the children of Maine — so that they can grow strong in knowledge and character as they put their shoulders to the task of building Maine’s future.
Please join me in voting for Reny on Nov. 8.
Geoff Bates
South Bristol
