A Talk with Anne Gass
When Anne Gass knocks on your door and asks if you have a minute, her smile and the twinkle in her eye make you want to invite her in for tea. As she talks, you will want to listen, and as she listens, you will want to talk.
And as you listen, you will hear that Anne is not just a talker, but a do-er. Behind the smile is a woman with grit and determination, a born leader, a fierce fighter for Women’s Rights, an independent thinker, an activist, an historian, and a person deeply committed to her community.
If you want to talk with Anne about WOMEN’S RIGHTS, she would be more than glad to share the story of her great-grandmother, Florence Brook Whitehouse, and her efforts to win women voting rights in the years 1914-1920. Anne has spoken extensively on the subject and written both an historical account of the suffrage movement from her great grandmother’s perspective and an historical fiction novel based on the true story of a cross-country road trip for the suffrage cause.
Anne has continued the family tradition of fighting for WOMEN’S EQUALITY with her staunch support of attempts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to the Maine Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex. In testimony on behalf of the Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, she (and others) note how the ERA would “help protect women from discrimination in the workplace, especially around equal pay, as well as in critical areas such as domestic violence and access to health care.”
The vote on the ERA was twice brought before the Maine legislature in 2019 (L.D. 433) and again in 2022 (L.D. 344). Each time, united Republican opposition meant that the Maine ERA did not get the two-thirds majority needed to advance toward ensuring equality for all Mainers. Her opponent, Amy Arata, voted each time in opposition to the ERA Amendment.
Regarding WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE RIGHTS, Anne will tell you that her experience researching and writing about her great-grandmother, informs her “unswerving commitment to women’s equality and abortion rights.” She fiercely supports a women’s right to safe, affordable abortion and contraception and will fight to protect those rights at all times.
In contrast, Amy Arata supported (unsuccessful) attempts (by Republicans) in 2021 to roll back MaineCare coverage for reproductive care, L.D. 748 and opposed legislation, LD 820, which successfully passed, to prevent discrimination against pregnant women and require private insurers and MaineCare to cover the full range of reproductive healthcare.
If you want to talk about SAFE ROADS FOR BIKING AND WALKING, check out Anne’s decades long effort to improve pedestrian walkways and bike paths in Gray. She launched the town’s first ever Bike-Ped Committee which led to a successful request for state funds. As a Town Councilor, she spearheaded efforts to update the Bike-Ped plan and develop a Complete Streets Policy. She’s done land conservation on Libby Hill and worked with the G-NG ATV Club to secure state funding to repair ATV trails and continues work to preserve ATV trails."
If you want to talk about EDUCATION AND FREE SPEECH, ask Anne about her time on the GNG School Board. Ask her what she thinks about censorship and Amy Arata’s bill to criminalize the teaching of “obscene material in the classroom”.
If you want to talk about the RIGHT TO VOTE, Anne supports non-partisan strategies such as installing secure ballot boxes, early voting, vote by mail and in-person.
OR ask Amy Arata why she voted against 4 bills (LDs 1126, 148, 1779 and 1463) that were passed in Maine to improve voter access and election integrity – all fundamentals of our democracy.
If you want to talk about HOUSING, Anne will talk at length about her years long professional career writing over $168 million in successful grants to state and federal housing and human service agencies to help clients develop affordable housing, address the needs of people who are homeless, low income, refugees or have other special needs.
And if you want to talk about TAXES, Anne will be glad to discuss her service on the Gray Town Council and how she has worked to keep the mill rate flat and property taxes affordable.
If you want to talk about ANYTHING ELSE: hiking, children, grandchildren, the weather, favorite family recipes, Anne just plain likes to listen and loves to learn.
PLEASE DON’T JUST TALK, VOTE FOR ANNE.
As a CLEAN ELECTION candidate, she does not owe anything to anyone – other than the voters. And will work tirelessly to represent them.
She has a passion for working for her community and is the VERY BEST CHOICE to represent the towns of Gray and New Gloucester in House District 104.
