Thank You from Chair Chris Johnson

Greetings! As we begin a new biennium working to ensure good people and community can thrive and realize their hopes and dreams for a better future, we also begin the biennium with the election of new officers to lead our work together here in Lincoln County.

Some of you remember and had a hand in electing me to the Maine Senate 11 years ago this coming Valentine’s Day. I thank you for that, and subsequent re-election by which I served Lincoln County in the Senate for five years. When I lost in the MAGA wave of 2016, you joined me in wanting to turn our nation’s politics and leadership in a more positive direction, to elevate people who believe with all their heart that honesty, integrity and kindness must rule the day. You put your trust in me and renewed that trust to chair LCDC for the past six years.

I am proud of how we have grown LCDC by focusing on achieving the positive and embracing new members to elect people who share those beliefs. Together, through all of our work we have made great strides, electing good people to represent us and continuing to build our connections and our membership from across our communities. We are more welcoming and diverse today than six years ago in our membership, in our DSC representation and Executive Committee, and in our candidates and elected officials.

Thank you for the support, the trust, and the camaraderie you have given. I am grateful. I have realized, though, that I am no longer able to commit the time that chairing the LCDC deserves due to my other commitments to my work for the state, chairing Somerville’s Select Board, leading a municipal broadband project, building a camp to spend more time with grandchildren, and planning for retirement in the next few years. I am confident in the ability of amazingly talented people who have come to be part of this organization and happy to trust others to lead LCDC. I will still work on the Executive Committee as the immediate past chair, and will continue to join in our work together for our shared beliefs to prevail.

Please join me on Thursday, January 26, as we elect our next set of LCDC leaders who will keep the pace with all that you do to ensure we continue to elect Democrats to office at all levels.

The above note was sent to our email list on January 11. We also thought we’d share a few pics from the past.

Thank you, Chris and Valarie Johnson (who served as LCDC Chair from 2011-13 and for 2016)