Money is a scourge in politics, so I am so glad I have the opportunity this year to vote for a Clean Election candidate for the State House.

Bob Mentzinger has been going door to door in the dark and cold all winter, collecting small-dollar donations to fund his campaign. By doing this, he is meeting voters like me, who are on limited budgets and have fixed incomes. He is someone I can identify with.

Ed Crockett never came to ask me for my vote when he was picked by the party and ran unopposed for the open seat in 2018. I am relatively new to the local politics in the area, so I have been doing my homework. When I saw some of Crockett’s votes (and non-votes), I realized he could not possibly be a Clean Election candidate. Who chooses railroad companies and CMP over Mainers? Who misses 24 votes in a year? Why did he duck a vote on June 12 to make public funds available for poor women to have access to abortion?

If public service means anything, it means being accountable to the people.

I don’t see that in Ed Crockett. I see it in Bob Mentzinger. I will be voting for Bob for House District 43 in the Democratic Party primary on June 9. I hope that everyone will consider doing the same.

Virginia Hughes
Falmouth