When lobsterman Genevieve McDonald opted not to run for reelection after serving two terms in the Maine House of Representatives, two people from lobstering families stepped up to run for what is now House District 15: Democrat Holly Eaton of Deer Isle and Republican Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island.
District 15 is unique. Deer Isle, Stonington, Swan’s Island, Frenchboro, Southwest Harbor and Tremont are all island communities. Four of the six are connected to the mainland by bridge, Swan’s and Frenchboro are water access-only. Only Brooklin is a mainland town, though it, too, is on the coast and has a lobster fishery and a well-known boatbuilding heritage.
The Eatons and the Joyces are no strangers in the area; both are common surnames in their hometowns and regions. Holly Eaton’s wife, father, brother and cousins are lobstermen and Holly is no stranger to the deck of a boat. Though she works ashore as a licensed massage therapist and housecleaner, the lobster fishery is much on Eaton’s mind. “I want to help protect the opportunity to fish,” she says, and sees the Legislature as a place where she can engage substantively in “the right whale conversation.”
By this she means federal efforts to protect right whales at the expense of the lobstering community. Most lobstermen point to the fact that the bulk of the Maine fishery occurs inshore, not in offshore waters frequented by right whales. Maine lobstermen have repeatedly been required to rerig their boats with fishing equipment that is allegedly more “whale-friendly,” an expensive proposition the efficacy of which when deployed is questioned by many fishermen.
Though Stonington is the port with the highest lobster landings in Maine, Eaton says the towns on her island have evolved “drastically.” She cites affordable housing, a workforce shortage and a lack of year-round jobs that pay a living wage as some of the most pressing problems. As just about everyone in Deer Isle/Stonington knows, the Island Nursing Home is the poster child for all these issues.
Eaton is acutely aware of the impact this has had on the communities she seeks to represent. The nursing home was started about 40 years ago by residents who wanted elders in need of residential care to be able to stay “home” on the island. For several decades, that worked well for the community, but more recently, staffing shortages have plagued the facility. Attracting workers from off-island was difficult as housing grew increasingly unaffordable.
Eaton says that over time the INH board of directors lost the community’s trust. The board chair stepped down in July. Now the board is soliciting new members from the community and a group of supporters has gone public with an offer of help. The impact of the nursing home closure extends beyond Deer Isle.
As more nursing homes closed on the mainland, elders from off-island were coming to stay as well. Eaton hopes to help her communities seek a solution.
The mother of young children, Eaton also has the other end of the life spectrum on her mind. She says a good public education system that includes the arts and diversity are essential to her region. As her children grow, her desire “to be a model” to them is part of her decision to seek public office. She is also concerned about women’s reproductive rights, saying access to full reproductive care for women “is on the ballot.”
Another issue on Deer-Isle Stonington, both for residents and for those that come and go, is the Causeway. The only access point to the mainland, work has been done in the past to fortify it but concern is again growing about whether it will need additional protection from sea level rise. Eaton is well aware of the implications but does not yet feel there is cause for alarm.
In the lead-up to the election, Eaton is determined to have “more contact with the towns in the district.” She acknowledges that she is a Democrat, “maybe even a liberal,” but says it is her priority to listen to voters. “It’s their opinions, not mine, that are important.”
Eaton says it was not all that long ago that islanders, bridge or no bridge, rarely left their communities. Fall school shopping was a major event, involving a trip to Ellsworth and plenty of planning. Now there is more contact with off-island towns, but Mainers still have a strong identification with their hometowns, especially if it is on a Maine island.
Holly Eaton is one of them. “I’m a Mainer and an island girl,” she says. This gives her much in common with the rest of her district. Though each island has its distinct culture, there are challenges common to them all. She looks forward to taking them on.
Jill Goldthwait worked for 25 years as a registered nurse at Mount Desert Island Hospital. She has served as a Bar Harbor town councilor and as an independent state senator from Hancock County.
