Chellie Pingree Chellie Pingree

Chellie Pingree will be bringing her campaign for Congress to the area this Saturday for a series of events she's calling "Lincoln County Day." Pingree will start the day in Boothbay Harbor and end up in Wiscasset, with stops in between in East Boothbay, Boothbay, Damarsicotta, Newcastle and Wiscasset.

Pingree is visiting these towns as part of her plan to go see voters in every town in the First Congressional District - all 125 of them - through joining them at community events or getting together with supporters in their homes.

"It's very important for me to be able to hear what people are most concerned about," Pingree said. "Whether it's the war in Iraq, the economy, our healthcare system, global warming or dozens of other issues, it's clear from everyone I talk to that we're on the wrong track and we need to change a great deal to get headed back in the right direction.'

Pingree's supporters believe she has the strength of character and the experience to stand up to the special interests that undermine progress for ordinary citizens.

"Chellie took on the pharmaceutical industry to lower prescription drug prices for all Mainers," said Anne Leslie of Wiscasset. "A lot of powerful companies didn't want that law to go through. Even after Maine approved it, the pharmaceutical industry went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to try to stop it. Chellie never backed down because she believed that Mainers should not have to choose between putting food on the table and their prescription medication."

Pingree's MaineRx bill became law and a blueprint for other states. MaineRx is one of several first-in-the-nation pieces of legislation that Pingree sponsored as a State Senator. It passed in 2000, when she was Majority Leader in the Maine Senate.

Increasingly Pingree says people are talking to her about the economy. "More and more I hear concern and frustration about our economic situation. The Administration has run up record budget deficits and presided over the sub-prime mortgage crisis. The price of gas and oil continues to rise and the only people who've gotten tax cuts are the wealthy. Solving these problems won't be easy, and it will take someone who is willing to fight to make the big changes necessary. This is why I want to serve in Congress - I believe there is much that needs to be done and too few people willing to do it."

In addition to many local citizens, Pingree has invited members of several area Select Boards and School Boards to hear about their concerns. Pingree, who lives in North Haven, served as Tax Assessor and as a School Board member.

"I know the challenges that local governments face," she said, "especially when money is tight, like it is now. I want to hear first hand what is happening in these communities and what Congress can do to make their lives easier.

The schedule for the day will be: 9 a.m., coffee and conversation, Wen's Diner, Boothbay Harbor; 9:40 a.m., coffee and conversation, East Boothbay General Store; 10:10 a.m., visit Boothbay YMCA; 11 a.m., meeting with Lincoln County volunteers at Skidompha Library, Damariscotta; 3 to 4 p.m., coffee and conversation, Treat's, Wiscasset.

Lincoln County Day won't be the first or last time Pingree has campaigned in the area. In October, supporters in Bremen threw a house party that attracted more than 80 attendees and Pingree visited South Bristol for the annual LCDC lobster bake. A few weeks ago Pingree got a chance to catch up with friends in the relaxed atmosphere of the Lincoln Country Democratic Committee Christmas Party at Le Garage in Wiscasset. Pingree is running for the now open seat being given up by Democratic Congressman Tom Allen, who is challenging Susan Collins for the U.S. Senate. For more information go to Pingree's Web site at www.chelliepingree.com, or call her campaign office at 773-0155.