Former Maine State Legislator Ted Koffman (D-Bar Harbor) Announces Candidacy for Senate District 7
Via press release:
Koffman Seeks Senate Seat
Veteran legislator offers leadership for Hancock County voters
BAR HARBOR – Today Ted Koffman a Democrat from Bar Harbor announced his candidacy for the State Senate in the new District 7, which includes much of Hancock County. Koffman previously served in the Maine House of Representatives for four terms from 2000 to 2008.
“During my eight years representing most of MDI in the House of Representatives, I was proud to advocate for our traditional natural resource sectors,” Koffman noted. ”Boat building, fishing, forest products, agriculture and organic farming, aquaculture, and outdoor recreation and tourism—along with expanding world class biomedical research, health and financial institutions. As a candidate for State Senate I pledge my energy, experience, and collaborative approach to advancing these businesses and non-profit organizations that influence the well being of the families and communities in Hancock County.”
Koffman also noted he is committed to continuing the efforts of making health care coverage more affordable through encouraging Maine’s acceptance of federal dollars to expand MaineCare health insurance to 70,000 Mainers, including 3,235 Hancock County residents. Koffman believes the impact of preventive and prenatal care goes beyond the doctor’s visit and actually improves children’s readiness to learn in school, and supporting a healthy workforce, while protecting families from insurmountable medical bills.
“Nearly 50% of personal bankruptcies in the U.S are caused by health care debt,” said Koffman. “Health care expansion will support our local health facilities that now assume substantial financial costs when serving uninsured patients. Achieving expansion through federal funding makes common sense and works for the common good.”
Koffman added, “Providing access to health care is an investment in our communities that would also generate $23 million in economic activity in the region, while creating more than 200 jobs. Without the expansion our rural health service centers are in harm’s way themselves.”
Koffman currently works as the Executive Director with the Maine Audubon and is retiring after five years of service. Prior to his work with the Maine Audubon, Koffman worked as an administrator with the College of the Atlantic. There Koffman created Eco-Eco (economics and ecology), an association of business, conservation, natural resource state commissioners, and civic leaders seeking collaborative solutions to shared problems.
During Koffman’s service in the Maine House, he served as House Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, sponsored several successful bills to protect children from toxic ingredients in products designed for their use, protect private and public drinking water supplies, and involve manufacturers in sharing the cost of collection and recycling of electronic waste such as TVs and other equipment.
He also served as House Chair of the Right To Know Advisory Committee, which was created as a result of legislation he sponsored to increase the state’s compliance with the Freedom of Access to Information Act (FOIA). The Maine Press Association honored him for his work to increase government transparency.
Koffman resides in Bar Harbor with his wife Joanna. They have four grown children, two of whom graduated from the University of Maine’s flagship campus in Orono.
District 7 is a new district created after Maine’s Constitutionally-mandated redistricting process. It includes the communities of Amherst, Aurora, Bar Harbor, Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Cranberry Isles, Deer Isle, Eastbrook, Ellsworth, T8SD (Fletcher’s Landing), Franklin, Frenchboro, Hancock, Lamoine, Mariaville, Mt. Desert, Osborn, Otis, Sedgwick, Sorrento, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Surry, Swan’s Island, Tremont, Trenton and Waltham.
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So, Ted Koffman says “I was proud to advocate for our traditional natural resource sectors…”Boat building, fishing, forest products, agriculture and organic farming, aquaculture, and outdoor recreation and tourism”.
But that was then. Now is now. As Director of Maine Audubon, he accepted large donations from mountain-destroyer and wind developer First Wind. In return he would testify at their wind project meetings and hearings. His message was that the mountaintop wind projects are great and the environmental damage, including bird and bat mortality, is minimal.
Land-based industrial wind projects permanently scar the mountains and damage the outdoor recreation and tourism Maine is known for.
Which Ted Koffman will the candidate be? The one who proudly claims he advocated for Maine’s outdoor recreation? Or the one who sold Maine Audubon’s soul to a wind developer?
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Gary Campbell
April 10, 2014
Please do not vote for Wind as a solution to Global Warming or any other false reasoning, witness the PUC approving Emera/First Wind arrogance on our laws. Wind energy will raise electricity rates, will never amount to more than 1% of generated electricity, It will destroy some of our most beautiful scenic areas in Maine that depend on tourism!
Maine is the second to LAST in trust of government! The only State worse is Illinois! really!
Don Moore
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Don Moore
April 12, 2014