Meet Diane May 21, 2008

When I was a little girl, I was impacted by two defining moments in Maine’s history: crank phones and one courageous little girl.

Crank Phones

First, I grew up in Bryant Pond, Maine – the last town in the country to have crank phones. (Not a rotary phone, a crank phone, LOL). I stood there as our tiny little town made national history and upgraded to the dial tone. What I didn’t know until many years later was that there had been a rather pointed debate between those who wanted to keep the crank phone and those (like my mother) who were ready for the dial tone. Ultimately, the debate was about whether we should preserve our past or embrace the future, a debate that continues in many forms to this day.

That decision, in hindsight, was rather pointed. The technology that telephones brought in paved the way for internet access and cellular phones, both of which were instrumental in the development of globalization. While we embraced the future, we were not prepared for that future. As a result, we have lost much of our manufacturing industry and face serious economic challenges.

An Honest Voice

While all this was going on, another defining moment in history made a markable impression upon me. A young girl a few years older than I wrote a simple letter to the leader of the USSR. That simple letter opened the door to political conversations that were long overdue and ultimately ended the Cold War. That a young girl from my home state could make such a difference has served as a constant reminder that a courageous voice could in fact change the world.

Opportunity Maine

As a founding board member of Opportunity Maine, we worked to address the economic issues Maine faces in the wake of globalization. By providing every Mainer an opportunity to attend and finish college without drowning in student loan debt, we created the boldest financial aid programs in the country. More importantly, we paved the way toward a sustainable economy, one where we can prepare our workforce for the changes in technology that are bound to continue. Only by preparing for the future of our state, can we adequately preserve our past. For only when we have a long-term vision, can we make decisions that positively impact our state in the long-term.

As we worked on the citizen’s initiative that eventually brought to fruition the Opportunity Maine Program, the memory of that little girl – Samantha Smith – came to mind often. While many lauded our work, still others considered our work impossible – even Quixotian. That a group of young community leaders could tackle such massive problems as student debt AND the economy seemed naive. But is sending a letter to a country long at war with ours at ten years old any less Quixotian?

Like Samantha, in the end our idealism, our belief in ourselves and our persistence paid off. While we did not stop a war, we did provide opportunities for countless Mainers. And one could argue, that we provided a very real alternative to the economic draft, something all too real for me. While I went into significant debt to pay for college, my brother went into the military. To our relief, he left Iraq for the last time in October; we went to war with Iraq in March. Other brothers and sisters were not so lucky.

Truth be told, had our initiative failed, I probably would have been devastated, heartbroken and not a little jaded. But we pushed back against our fears, persisted in times of serious doubt and prevailed well beyond anything we could have imagined. It has been a remarkable journey, one that has solidified my belief in ideals and proven that big issues can be solved with some Yankee Ingenuity.

Running for State Rep

When Rep. Anne Rand decided to run for the state senate seat here in Portland, I realized there was more work to be done and more work that could be done with the right mix of vision, intellect and collaboration. What we decide in the next two or three years will determine the economic opportunity for future generations. Unlike any other election, 2008 has important implications from the top of the ticket to the bottom.

If you are looking for a credible candidate with a strong backbone and Progressive values, I ask you to vote for me in the Democratic Primary on June 10th.

Yes. Yes, we can.

Authorized by the candidate Diane Russell and paid for by Gabrielle Berube, Treasurer. 217 Maine Road, Hampden