Copeland, Sirois vie for State House District 130 seat

Democratic incumbent Lynn Copeland is facing competition from Republican Theodore Sirois for the State House District 130 seat covering part of Saco.

The candidates, in alphabetical order.

 Lynn Copeland, 61, is a legal assistant. She has two grown children and a granddaughter.

She has served as a state representative since 2020 and was also a Saco City Councilor. She is currently a member of the Saco Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

“As the incumbent candidate I am a proven leader with experience to navigate state government with skill. I have built strong bipartisan relationships and tap into the many state resources available to solve problems with my community’s interest at heart and to move Maine forward,” she said.

Copeland said her experience as City Councilor has led her to understand the serious issues in the community.

“My neighbors talk with me about important issues, and I use their input as my guiding light,” said Copeland.

She said her experience as a foster parent has informed many of her decisions supporting Maine youth. She said she brings “a lifetime” of volunteer leadership, serving in positions that include Girl Scout Leader, board member of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine, and Vice President of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

“I care deeply about Saco and work closely with my colleagues in the state house to advance and pass legislation to make life safe, healthy and affordable by supporting legislation that helps Mainers earn a decent living and be able to afford housing, health care, and education,” said Copeland.

Embracing and protecting natural resources through conservation and renewable resources are also among her top priorities, she said.

Copeland said she has supported and worked on legislation that was passed to lower the barriers to build housing for working Mainers, keep communities safe by encouraging gun owners to handle and store weapons responsibly, protect women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies and pass the ERA, and ensure Mainers are not discriminated against because of their gender, race, or who they love.

 Theodore (Ted) Sirois, 67, retired last year from Texas Instruments, where he worked as an equipment technician. He is married and has four children.  He has an associate degree in Business a bachelor’s degree in technical education and a master’s degree in Adult Education.

“I’m a retired US Navy veteran, with three of my four children serving in the military,” he said.

Sirois is a Canadian immigrant who is fluent in French. His family moved to Saco in the mid-1960s and he, as well as all his children, graduated from Thornton Academy.

He served on the Saco School Board for two years and on the Saco Parks and Recreation Department Advisory Board.

Sirois said if elected, his top priority would be energy costs.

“I would fight any tax increase on any form of energy because such increases would disproportionately hurt businesses and the low-income members of our community. Maine must welcome all inexpensive sources of cleanly generated electrical power onto our power grid. We must stop discriminating against one electrical power-generating entity over another because of political ideologies,” he said.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.