Most of Maine’s county commissioners are aging, even as younger candidates seek in-roads
Maine’s county governments are led largely by older commissioners, a generational reality that is shaping local races even as state politics increasingly debate whether age should limit public service. In Lincoln County, for instance, Commissioner William Blodgett, 89, plans to retire at the end of the year—an outcome that is expected to keep the seat in senior hands rather than usher in a much younger leader.
The reporting on Maine’s county commissioners found that the average age is 68 and that the largest group is made up of officials in their 70s. It also found that relatively few commissioners are under 60, and that only four counties have a commissioner younger than 40.
When Blodgett’s seat comes open, the leading contender named in the reporting is Walter Voskian, 87, the only major party candidate running for the midcoast role. Voskian said he is in excellent health, that his age is not important, and that his experience would benefit the county. He also said his background includes decades working for the CIA, where he helped prepare security briefings for multiple presidents, and he argued that his work history helps when commissioners need to make decisions.
Voskian also said the argument over age is really about competence and know-how. In the reporting, Voskian said it is helpful “to be able to draw on those experiences when you have to make a decision,” adding, “I don’t think it’s a matter of age, it’s more a matter of experience.”
The generational picture in Maine extends beyond Lincoln County. The reporting notes that if Voskian takes over Blodgett’s seat, the title of the state’s oldest county commissioner would not go to him; instead, it would move to Oxford County’s H. Sawin Millett, an 88-year-old veteran politician slated to serve until just after his 90th birthday. Millett, in remarks carried in the reporting, said he made the decision to return to county office partly to keep himself mentally active and to use his “experience” to help people closer to home.
Some of the younger candidates pushing into county races say the structure of county work makes it harder for working-age adults to compete. Noel Madore, 35, for example, is running for a Kennebec County seat after previously serving as an Androscoggin County commissioner, according to the reporting. Madore argued that the job is part time and often requires daytime meetings with little pay—“often only a few thousand annually”—which he said makes it difficult for people who have jobs to run for office. He also said younger adults have fewer examples of peers in the role, which he said reduces interest.
“They don’t operate in such a way where it is the easiest entry for folks,” Madore said in the reporting. He added that limited representation keeps young people from seeing the job as relevant to them, saying, “When seat holders are predominantly retired … (young people) don’t see their peers there, and it doesn’t seem relevant to them.”
The discussion over age is also echoing in broader politics, where older and younger candidates are increasingly running against one another. The reporting pointed to the still-fresh memory of former President Joe Biden’s “stumbling” 2024 debate performance as helping crystallize public support for age limits in Congress. In Maine, that debate has been brought into sharper focus by the U.S. Senate race, described in the reporting as featuring Graham Platner, 34, former Gov. Janet Mills, 78, and incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73.
In county politics, the generational challenge is partly structural and partly cultural. County government, the reporting said, has often been ignored by residents in Maine, where towns and cities have a strong tradition of local control. But commissioners still approve county budgets, which fund public safety measures and programs obligated by state law, including spending on jails, the sheriff’s office and the district attorney.
Even where older commissioners dominate, the reporting describes some efforts by newer, younger officials to bring a different approach to the job. York County’s Justin Chenette, 35, is described as one of the youngest commissioners, and he urged sixth graders to get involved in government during a civics presentation on May 13. Chenette, a Democrat and former state senator, also described his own role in the reporting as an example of what county commissioners can do, including an emergency response case in which the commission stepped in to support an Alfred food pantry that was facing closure.
Chenette’s remarks in the reporting included a direct description of why he said the commission voted to help. “It was about to close, so people weren’t going to have a place to go to, basically, feed their families,” he said. He added, “We felt a moral obligation to step up and feed our fellow neighbors in need.”
Chenette took his seat in 2023 as the York County commission saw an influx of money, including federal pandemic relief funds and funds from national opioid settlements, the reporting said. It also described his use of a personal website and social media as more common among younger elected officials than among county commissioners in general.
In Cumberland County, Marpheen Chann, 34, is described as the only major party candidate running for a commission seat representing much of Portland. The reporting quotes Chann describing counties as the “ugly stepchild” of Maine government because of their limited power and low public recognition, while also describing an expansive agenda around housing, homelessness, immigration and transportation. Chann said he has floated ideas including a Cumberland County housing authority and a regional rail system based in Portland.
Chann acknowledged in the reporting that the rail idea would be a long-term effort, saying he suspects it could take 30 to 50 years. He also said he is “planting that flag far in the future,” and he framed his approach as linking young voters to a concrete government structure beyond short-term headlines. “Young people have to step up and show that they’re interested in things beyond … things that are Instagrammable, and for me that means county government,” Chann said.
For commissioners themselves, age is often presented as a health and experience question rather than a political line. Patsy Crockett, 85, described in the reporting as the oldest commissioner in Kennebec County, said she believes “every bit of experience” helps people serve as commissioners and said, “If the person is healthy and able to do the job, I don’t think age should make a difference.”
The reporting includes Crockett’s insistence that she plans to keep serving, saying she has “no plans to retire” and will be up for election again in 2028. In Lincoln County, Voskian similarly pressed for participation over retirement, telling voters that involvement matters regardless of age. “Some people prefer, when they retire, to just recede,” he said. “I chose not to do that, and I encourage people, regardless of their age, to get involved in local activities, local government.”