A response from State Representative Sean Flaherty:

Last Sunday, conservative activist Tony Payne, came after me once again. After sending 4 negative and misleading attack mailers to families in Scarborough last year, it’s clear Tony Payne and his allies just can’t stand seeing young people in elected office in Maine.

This time, however, he didn’t disagree with a vote or a particular stance on an issue. He didn’t even note anything about my legislative record and service to the State and our community. This time, Mr. Payne went after the voters of Scarborough. He claimed that the voters of Scarborough “sat on the sidelines” when they elected me in 2008.

I knocked on over 2,500 doors, talked with hundreds of voters, and did something that every elected official should do more of; listened to people. I hardly think that the people I spoke with in 2008 were sitting on the sidelines. Moreover, Scarborough voters were well aware of the issues facing our State and offered tremendous insight to me.

“What does a part-time swim coach fresh out of college know about solving a billion dollar hole in the State budget?” Payne writes in his column in the Maine Sunday Telegram. Mr. Payne is not questioning my judgment or my voting record; he’s questioning the wisdom of Scarborough voters who put their faith in me two years ago.

What’s more frustrating, is that Mr. Payne fails to realize that in addition to having earned degrees in both Political Science and History from the George Washington University, I have diverse experiences in a variety of sectors of our economy. In fact, when I was running for office, I was employed by Pond Cove Millwork Inc., a commercial construction and architectural millworking firm located in South Portland, Maine.

And yes, I also coached swimming during the evenings and weekends to help make some extra money. Heaven forbid a young person actually tries to afford his mortgage in this economy by having two or three jobs.

Today, I continue to coach swimming because I love it. I see nothing wrong with trying to give back to the sport which afforded me the opportunity to travel the country, taught me the value of hard work and perseverance, and showed me the spirit of sportsmanship. Swimming also earned me a scholarship to one of our nation’s top Universities where I earned my degrees so that I could come home to Maine to try to make a difference.

Tony Payne’s recent hatchet job is not only mean spirited, but again, misleading. He has never spoken to me, called me, or even e-mailed me. You’d think before he specifically targets someone’s choice of employment, that he’d at least bother to get the facts. However, the facts wouldn’t play well in Mr. Payne’s attack narrative.

Voters in Scarborough can expect more and expect worse attacks as the election approaches. But to get the truth, I hope people will reach out to me directly. I’ll always be straight with you and always listen to your concerns.

And Mr. Payne, in case you read this, we successfully closed a billion dollar hole in the State Budget without raising taxes, and I’m very proud to have been an important part of that process.