Dear Editor:

I want to give a shout out to Senator Cameron Reny—she’s not just showing up for housing in Lincoln County, she’s doing actual work that delivers results.

Just on July 29, Senator Reny stood beside Gov. Janet Mills at the ribbon‑cutting for the new 16‑unit affordable housing complex in Newcastle—an achievement rooted in the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program that Maine has backed for rural communities. Her comment that “all Maine people deserve access to safe and affordable housing close to where they live, work and shop” wasn’t just rhetoric—it’s reflected in this built result.

But housing solutions don’t stop at bricks and mortar. In the legislative session earlier this summer, Reny sponsored LD 554, a critical new law creating tax incentives—including up to $750,000 in capital gains exemption—for the sale of manufactured‑home parks and multi‑unit developments to resident‑owned cooperatives or housing authorities. That’s huge. It’s a direct effort to keep housing affordable and in the hands of residents—not outside investors.

She didn’t stop there. Reny also spearheaded LD 1016, establishing the Manufactured Housing Community and Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund, which makes the program permanent and adds a fee structure that discourages corporate takeovers while preserving affordability. That bill has already preserved over 440 units and will help many more communities remain locally and cooperatively owned.

The Newcastle project is the tangible endgame of these efforts—but worth noting is how Senator Reny has approached the issue on every front: from policy (tax incentives, funding programs, zoning reforms) to community collaboration, drilling down into local detail and statewide strategy alike.

Let’s call this what it is: real, targeted leadership on housing. If we’re serious about solving Maine’s affordability crisis—from keeping long‑term residents in their mobile homes to building new units like those in Newcastle—Cameron Reny is doing the work, not just the photo ops.

We should be thankful she represents District 13; we’d all like to see more legislators up and down the ballot willing to tackle problems this thoroughly and thoughtfully.

Keith Mestrich, Chair

Lincoln County Democratic Committee