AUGUSTA, Maine — Earlier today, Democratic Senator Troy Jackson of Allagash was sworn in as the 117th President of the Maine Senate. Sen. Jackson is serving his fifth nonconsecutive term in the Senate, representing the good people of Northern Aroostook County. The last Senate President to come from Aroostook County was former Gov. John Reed of Fort Fairfield, sixty years ago.
Chief Justice Leigh Saufley administered the oath of office to Sen. Jackson and 33 of his Senate colleagues, all of whom have been elected to serve two-year terms.
“I’m both honored and deeply humbled to have been selected to serve as President of the Maine Senate. However, I’m especially grateful to the people of Northern Aroostook County, who have placed their faith and trust in me time and time again,” said Jackson. “Over the next two years, my hope for this body is that we can work together to rebuild Maine in a way that gives everyone a fair chance.”
Sen. Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash whose participation in the 1998 logging blockade along the Canadian border launched him into politics. He is a lifelong resident of the St. John River Valley and has proven to be a passionate advocate for workers’ rights, including fair wages, protection from unfair international competition and the freedom to join a union. Sen. Jackson has also worked to lower health care costs, taking on “Big Pharma” to make prescription drugs more affordable and holding insurance companies accountable for covering individuals with pre-existing conditions.
“I hold no illusions that this will be easy and that change will happen overnight. But it shouldn’t be this hard for people who want to work, earn a living and lead a healthy life to get by,” said Sen. Jackson. “If we succeed in bridging the divides that exist between us, I’m confident that we will leave the state of Maine far better than we found it.”
In the Legislature, Sen. Jackson has previously served on a number of different committees, including Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development; State and Local Government, Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; and Energy, Utilities and Technology. He has also served two nonconsecutive terms as Senate Democratic Leader.
Sen. Jackson lives in Allagash with his partner, Lana Pelletier. They have two adult sons, Chace and Camden.
Of the 35 senators, there are 21 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Twelve are women and 23 are men. There are 13 new members: 11 have recently served in the House of Representatives and two have no previous legislative experience. Twenty-two members are incumbents.
The Legislature will reconvene at the start of the new year.
