Zachary Earl Smith

The descendant of more than five generations of Mainers from The County to the coast, I may have been born away but Maine is in my blood, it is my heritage and one I am proud of. My parents like many Mainers moved away because they were looking for work seeking the opportunity they unfortunately couldn’t find here.  Most of my family though has remained in Maine and as a child I spent many summers here. I loved being in Maine, so much so that after completing my high schooling requirements I proudly moved here nearly a decade ago. Ohio did not award diplomas to home schooled students, so I attended the Caribou Adult Education Program and with plenty community support quickly earned my GED. Seeking greater opportunity for myself I enrolled at Northern Maine Technical College (now our community college), and then transferred to the University of Maine at Presque Isle where I graduated with greater than a 3.3 gpa with my bachelors degree in Business.
During my college career I sought and achieved sound budget reform within the Student Government and had the fortunate opportunity to travel all over world, all the way from San Francisco to Istanbul. My travels taught me just how blessed we are in this country, and just how blessed I am to be a citizen of this nation and to be able to call Maine my home. As a business student I planed and organized the UMPI Technology Fair for several years. This business fair was targeted at bringing the latest technology to The County, and to help local businesses learn to use that technology to create new opportunities here in Aroostook, from agriculture and farming to traditional and information age based businesses. I have been involved in a variety of other organizations aimed at improving and creating opportunity here in The County, as well as serving my fellow citizens as a former member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Staying here in The County and finding creative ways to enable others to do the same while being prosperous is very important to me.
I would like to see my family move back to Maine for I believe every parent should be able raise their family here without worrying about how they are going to afford it. It saddens me when my friends lose hope and think they can’t have the life they seek here, and that is something I want to change. I believe we can change things and that young people, and all Mainers can have the opportunity to have prosperous lives, learn, work, and a family here in The County. This is something I hope can and will happen and is what I will fight for in Augusta, as I believe every citizen has a duty to serve and give back to their community. Public service is a great honor and responsibility, one I will respect and a responsibility I gladly take on to give back and to do my share to improve our community.

If you share my principles and ideas then I will represent you well in Augusta and I hope I can count on your vote November 4th. To learn more please read my About page.

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