Lincoln County Democrats unanimously elected former State Senator Chris Johnson of Somerville as their new chair on Jan. 18. He succeeds his wife, Valarie Johnson. Also elected were Lincoln County Commissioner Mary Trescot of Damariscotta as vice chair, Marilyn Buhyoff of Round Pond as secretary, and Sandie O’Farrell of Waldoboro, re-elected as treasurer. The LC Dems meeting was held in the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset.

In remarks to the group, Chris Johnson urged Democrats in this post-election period to resume their involvement with their communities. “I want this to be a county committee in which everybody who wants to get involved … has an outlet for applying their talents and being involved in whatever level of activism you want … and not just for the next election,” he said.

It’s a matter of getting people to understand, he said, “that we, as Democrats, actually want what’s best for the people of the state of Maine, to have a government that works well for them. And we expect it to be a government in which things are done with truth and integrity.” To that end, he added, “It’s really important that we spend more time with outreach and communicating with people where they are, and making them aware of more than what they’re hearing on conservative talk radio.”

Attendees spent an hour brain-storming ideas on ways to follow up on Johnson’s suggestions. He wrapped up the discussion, saying the Democrats need not just to resist “further harm by the LePage administration … but also to work for the long term, building a ground swell of support and understanding for what we need to advance, to actually make life better here for the state of Maine and make government work better in support of that.”

The next meeting of the Lincoln County Democrats will be Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Lincoln County 911 building adjacent to the Court House in Wiscasset. For more information on the Lincoln County Democrats, contact Chris Johnson at chris@dirigo.net.