Corey seeking fourth term in Maine House

Rep. Patrick Corey

Patrick Corey (R-Windham) has announced plans to seek a fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives later this year. Corey, known for his willingness to reach across the aisle on conservation, criminal justice, healthcare and budgetary issues, said that the single biggest issue facing the next Legislature will be its ability to adapt and learn from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the COVID-19 outbreak shifted everything,” Corey, who serves on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, said. “It’s going to change how we prepare our first responders and provide essential equipment for the next invisible enemy. We’ll be bringing even greater focus to our public health system and the frontline workers who’ve been fighting this virus. Moreover, we need to better appreciate the role caregivers and long-term care support workers play in our healthcare system and the challenges they’ve faced during this pandemic.”

Corey added that lawmakers must come together to reboot and rebuild Maine’s economy which has sharply declined in the wake of the virus and may pose the most complex challenge of any facing decision-makers at all levels.

“Our businesses and non-profits here in Windham are hurting, our families are struggling to make ends meet, and people are looking for answers from the Governor and the Legislature. Helping Maine businesses and non-profits restart and rehabilitate must be our top priority over the next two years,” he said. “And it’s going to take creativity, compromise, and a willingness from both parties to define that in ways that truly help people from one end of the state to the other.” 

Corey added that while Maine has been fortunate to have surpluses in recent years and build a $240 million rainy day fund, taxpayers can’t be left behind in the recovery effort if it is going to succeed.
“At the same time, we are going to have to find new ways to stretch every dollar the state takes in, keep more money in taxpayers’ wallets, and live within our means in a post-virus economy. That’s not easy, but I really think we are at a point where Maine must reprioritize and set goals that reflect the changing world we live in,” he said. “We are going to have to mix Democratic, Republican and Independent ideas to make the recovery fast, and we’re going to have to get to work when we go back in January.”

Corey concluded by saying that policymakers are successful when they focus on non-partisan bills that put constituents first.

“A few years ago, a constituent suggested I put a bill in to help family caregivers make ends meet,” he said. “Working on that bill with folks from both parties, with the Department of Health and Human Services, and stakeholders, has been a rewarding experience, and shows that we can do good work when we focus on what’s possible and put people over politics. That’s what’s going to see us through COVID-19 and where the next Legislature must focus its energy. We have to get this right for Maine to turn the corner.”

For more information about Corey or his campaign, contact him at 749-1336 or by email at patrick@coreyforhouse.com.