Attending the Democratic gubernatorial primary debate in Topsham on a recent Saturday (March 21) was a joy. Five thoughtful and capable candidates presented their credentials and positions without sniping at each other and at times were complimentary of what one another had accomplished. Orion Performing Arts Center was packed with an enthusiastic audience who gave the candidates roaring applause on some of their points. No boos, no negativity; all very civil and, at times, humorous.

The candidates include Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, businessman Angus King III, former speaker of the Maine House Hannah Pingree and former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control Dr. Nirav Shah. I think any of them could do a good job as governor. In the end, I will vote for Dr. Shah on June 9 because as an economist, lawyer and doctor, he has the skills to overcome the need for affordable housing and health care so badly limited in Maine. He can take a macro approach.

Mainers will remember him for effectively leading us through the COVID-19 pandemic, but before that he managed a multimillion-dollar budget as director of public health in Illinois. He knows plenty about running big organizations. After all, he was principal deputy director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Washington, D.C., under President Biden.

Shah’s credentials and experience make him an outstanding candidate. We’d be lucky to have him as governor. He lives in Brunswick and teaches at Colby College.

Cynthia Stevens
Harpswell