About Sean Flaherty
“Growing up as a student-athlete in Scarborough, I’ve learned the value of teamwork and sportsmanship. I worked with other lawmakers regardless of political party, to help serve the needs of the people in Scarborough.”- Sean Flaherty
- Graduate of Scarborough High School
- Graduate of the George Washington University – Washington, D.C.
- Experience and knowledge in the technology & communication fields
- Lifelong resident of Scarborough
- State Championship Swimmer For Scarborough High
Sean Flaherty, well known as a record-setting swimmer for Scarborough High School teams, was elected by 56% of the district wide vote defeating the incumbent Republican John F. McDonough, a highly respected veteran legislator. Using a family bible which belonged to his maternal great-grandfather, former Westrbook Mayor Dr. Leo Lemeiux, Flaherty was sworn in as a member of the Maine House of Representatives December 3rd, 2008.
Before returning to Maine, Flaherty won a swimming scholarship to the George Washington University in Washington D.C. While swimming for the Colonials, he was named to the All-Conference team in three events and was awarded Atlantic-10 Conference Rookie of the Year.
“Washington was a terrific experience,” Flaherty said in 2008 “But the fact is my heart is, and always has been here in Scarborough, and I want to jump into activities for the people of Scarborough. I hope the Legislature is a good place to get some good things done for the town.”
While in DC, Flaherty worked for 21st Century Democrats, the National Maritime Heritage Foundation, and Hanley Wood, LLC before serving as Grassroots Coordinator for the American Association for Justice where he managed the People Over Profits Campaign for AAJ’s Public Affairs team until 2008.
“I have learned a lot,” Flaherty said. “I have gotten to see the political and government process all over the country. I would really like to put this knowledge and my energy to work for the people of Scarborough.”
While at Scarborough High, Flaherty made statewide headlines by achieving an undefeated swimming race record during four years. He still holds records in a number of swimming pools in Maine, including Cape Elizabeth, Bates College, and Greely.
He is also known among history buffs as the winner of the annual Peaks to Portland Swim Race, a fundraiser for the YMCA of Portland. Competitors jump into the water at Peaks Island and swim to the mainland near East End Beach in Portland. Flaherty’s paternal Great-Grandmother, Sarah Hopkins, was the first woman to ever complete the distance, decades before the annual race was introduced. The race, known for its cold water and endurance requirements, was won three times by Flaherty, who still owns the course record for the 2.5 mile swim.
“Swimming was a terrific experience for me at Scarborough. It is a great team sport. You learn to work with everyone. You learn to respect people for their individual abilities. When you are trying to win a team relay, you don’t care where a person was born, or how old they are; you just care how they can help Scarborough High School. I look at politics and government the same way. I want to be able to work with anyone,” Flaherty said. Flaherty, who twice won Maine State Forensic League Debate Championship, said his generation can help the state of Maine and Scarborough as we head further into the 2lst century.
“My generation has a great stake in the way the world is changing. We have grown up with different skills and events shaping our lives. Communication and technology allow us to be in touch with people all over the world. This has changed everything–from the way we do business in Maine, competing in the world economy, to they way we protect our environment. This is good news for Maine, I think. This makes us closer to many markets,” Flaherty said.
As Head Coach for Scarborough High School Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Swimming and Diving teams and led a group more than 70 athletes to a an undefeated regular season, Conference Championship, and a pair of Runner-Up Finishes at the 2010 Class A State Championship Meet in his first and only season. At the State Championship, Scarborough swimmer, Robby Gravel, broke Flaherty’s State Record in the 200 Yard Individual Medley, which had been unchallenged since 2002.
Flaherty is a member of the Gov. William King Lodge #219, Fraternity Lodge #54, and is a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason. Flaherty currently serves on the board of Scarborough Community Scholarship Foundation, Maine Swimming Inc., and the New Leaders Council. As volunteer coordinator for Scarborough’s 350th Triathlon, he helped to run the first ever triathlon in his home town of Scarborough.