Young politician gets involved locally

Lorrain Photo:

NEW BLOOD — Governor Paul LePage sits with Ryan Lorrain during the 2010 campaign.

PARIS — Ryan Lorrain, age 23, already has two failed bids for the state legislature under his belt, but he has has not gone quietly into the night.

Instead, the young conservative Republican took heart from a narrow loss to Rep. Terry Hayes (D-Buckfield) in the November 2010 elections.

"I came within 106 votes of a two-term incumbent," said Lorrain, "so obviously some people heard my message."

Now, Lorrain, who often heard that he lacked the experience and long resumes of other politicians, is taking steps to address those concerns.

On the statewide level, he nabbed a job as the sergeant-at-arms in the House of Representatives, which gives him the responsibility of coordinating the administrative support staff that helps state legislators get things done.

"So far it's been a really good experience up here," said Lorrain. "It's allowed me to really learn about the process."

Locally, Lorrain says that he is determined to get involved with the governance of South Paris, where he has applied to three town committees.

"I did see that there were openings, and people have gotta start somewhere. I'm not an expert at that stuff, but I am willing to learn and do what I can to help," said Lorrain. "Right now, I don't believe that there's a lot of young people involved."

If Lorrain is successful, he will sit on the policy and procedure committee, the budget committee, and also as an alternate on the planning board.

"I'm looking to get on all of them. Timing-wise, I think I could do it," said Lorrain.

"If I'm sitting around doing nothing when I could be doing something productive, I don't like it," he said. "I'm not going to be young forever."

When Lorrain campaigned in November, he was 22, but could have passed for 17. He says that, when he went door to door to ask people for their vote, he could sometimes sense that they were apprehensive about putting their faith into someone so young.

His new duties and experiences at the state house, however, have given him confidence.

"I think people are starting to take me a little more seriously now. I know there are quite a few young people up here [in Augusta]," he said. "It is possible at a young age to be up here."

Lorrain says that he might be asking the citizens of Paris for their vote again soon.

"I was thinking about putting my hat in the ring for selectman," he said. "I've heard that [incumbents Lloyd Herrick and Ray Glover] are not seeking reelection."

Despite an admitted lack of experience in town government, Lorrain does have ideas about what kind of approach to take.

"If you can hear ideas, I think that's what government is all about," he said. "I'm pretty easy to communicate with, and a lot of issues in town government are about constituent service. For me, it's about being close-knit with the people I live around."

Should Lorrain decide to run for selectman, one issue that he is likely to be asked about is his stance on ATV issues, which have been a hot topic in the town lately.

For now, he's keeping an open mind.

"I'd like to hear both sides of the story before choosing one or the other," he said.