Sen. Patrick to host community forum Friday in Rumford

REGION -- With all the worry and concern as the state tries to close a gap in the state budget, State Sen. John Patrick (D-Rumford) decided to host community forums for his Senate District 14 constituants in three different locations over three days.

Sen. Patrick admitted he has been fielding a lot more emails and phone calls from concerned town officials and citizens regarding many different proposed cuts. “I am eager to hear the input from our citizens and town officials regarding the Governor’s proposed budget. There is a lot to talk about and I look forward to an interesting and open discussion.”

The forums will all be from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday's forum takes place in the Rumford Falls Auditorium. The first one was held Wednesday in Bethel. On Thursday, Sen. Patrick held a forum in Jay at the Jay-Niles Memorial Library.

The forum in Rumford will be co-facilitated by Representative Matt Peterson.

These forums will provide citizens opportunity to share concerns, ask questions, and learn about issues addressed by the 126th Legislature.

The lead topic will be Governor’s proposed two-year budget, for which he will have a handout features the highlights of that budget. If enough time remains, Sen. Patrick will talk about some of the bills that he's working on for this Legislative session.

Sen. Patrick said he looking forward to "face-to-face dialog" to learn more about the expectations from town officials and citizens.

Sen. Patrick is also offering a legislative update by email for anyone interested in signing up. To subscribe and stay informed about what is happening in the Legislature and around Senate District 14, go to: http://www.mainesenate.org/meet-your-senators/senator-patrick/

Sen.Patrick represents Senate District 14, which includes Oxford County and the Town of Jay in Franklin County. He is the Senate Chair of the Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development Committee, and also serves on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. This is his second term in the Senate.

Rep. Peterson represents House District 92, which includes Andover, Byron, Roxbury, Rumford, Weld, the Plantations of Rangeley and Sandy River, and the unorganized territories of West Central Franklin and Madrid Township. He serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and the Government Oversight Committee. This is his third term in the House.