By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A local businessman has thrown his hat into the political ring, hoping voters will elect him to serve as representative to the state Legislature following Rep. Jeremy Fischer’s decision earlier this summer to not run for re-election come November. Michael Willette announced his intentions to run on the Democratic ticket for House District 5, the seat being vacated by Fischer, during a recent interview.
“I have always been interested in politics and have always taken deep interest in what happens in our town, our state and our country. One of my strongest assets is my ability to solve problems and bring opposing parties together to find common ground and settle disputes,” said Willette, noting he’s been “doing this all my life.”
“It was that ability that helped me in the classroom and in keeping the peace in a household while raising three children,” said the 38-year-old former teacher.
Willette said he uses that ability in his current position as a real estate agent.
“It now helps me to match up buyers and sellers to make real estate transactions go smoothly. I also bring a no-nonsense attitude into my decision-making, but my decisions are not made lightly or blindly,” he said.
He’ll continue to use his skills at mediation, if elected to serve in Augusta.
“I feel that our state needs to take a more common-sense approach in how it creates policy and laws,” said Willette.
If elected, Willette plans to focus ways to improve the quality of life for residents of Aroostook County and address the issue of out-migration.
“My main goal for our district is to work to keep our citizens here in Presque Isle and the County. As a realtor, I have seen the outflow of people from this area as they move to places with better jobs and places that offer more in the way of recreation and enriching activities for the young,” he said.
Willette said, as an educator, he’s witnessed firsthand the shrinking of class sizes due to the out-migration of citizens.
“This needs to stop or at least slow to a trickle. We need to create and attract new industries to our area that will create new jobs for the young people. I want to investigate the new and upcoming green energy industries that are ripe for the taking,” said Willette. “We also need to work hard for our farmers, aiding them in finding alternative crops to plant, like soy beans and canola and switchgrass for ethanol production.”
Alternative sources of energy will be a high priority as well, said Willette.
As a former educator, Willette has a particular interest in the school consolidation issue.
“My pet project will probably be the school consolidation issue and working to make sure good, qualified teachers are compensated to meet their level of professionalism and abilities. I will be SAD 1’s biggest advocate in fighting against the state’s school consolidation initiative,” he said.
“I plan on making that one of my primary and most important goals of my campaign. Being an educator and a product of the SAD 1 school system, I realize the importance of maintaining our communities’ identities as it pertains to our school district,” said Willette.
Willette has been married to his wife, Pam, for 16 years. The couple have three children: Maddasin, Sophia and Alex. A 1988 graduate of Presque Isle High School, Willette entered the Army where he served as a medic.
“I volunteered to deploy to Iraq during the first Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91 where I was with the 1st and the 12th Infantry as a combat medic,” said Willette. “When I returned home, I worked at UPS, JM Huber and McCain’s. During that time, my wife and I worked our way through college.”
Willette graduated with a degree in biology and chemistry, then finished by getting certification in education, eventually taking a position as science teacher with SAD 1.
“My wife also teaches for SAD 1,” said Willette.
After a few years of teaching, Willette decided to pursue the profession of realtor.
“I’d always wanted to undertake a career as realtor. In 2005 I got licensed as a realtor and in 2007 became co-founder of Black Bear Realty group. We now have one of the most successful realty companies in northern Maine,” said Willette.
Willette hopes to use his past experiences and successes to benefit his constituents, should he be elected to serve in Augusta come November.
