Holly Stover, a native of Boothbay, is seeking re-election to the House District 48.

Previously serving as the Representative for House District 89 for two terms, Stover serves as the House Chair of the Government Oversight Committee and is a member of the Health and Human Services Committee. In 2021, Stover also served on the Marine Resources Committee for a limited period. Stover served on the Tax Expenditure Review Working Group in the 130th Legislature. She served on the Commission to Study Long Term Care Workforce issues in the 129th Legislature.

In the 130th Legislature, Stover sponsored LS 1898, An Act to Address the Economic Impact of the Federal Closures on Maine’s Fixed Gear Fishing Industry. This bill passed out of the Marine Resources Committee, and both the House and the Senate. The appropriation of 30 million dollars was to assist fisherman impacted by the federal regulatory changes in Maine waters.

Stover Sponsored LD 1824, An Act to improve the Child Welfare Ombudsman Program by Providing Additional Resources. That bill will provide a new study that will examine the need for civil legal representation for parents who are involved with the child protective services in Maine.

Stover has spent her career working in health and human services, both in the public and private sectors. Stover has spent her career working in mental health, child physical and sexual abuse, domestic and sexual violence, and trauma. She has sponsored legislation over her nearly four years in office these issues on both policy and program levels. Stover worked for the Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Health and Human Services from 1993 to 2016. Stover presently works for the Community Resource Council and Lincoln County Dental; two local nonprofits that provide programs and services to people in our community.

There are many people who may know Holly from her time as a server at Brown’s Wharf for 27 years. She forged relationships with customers over the years and has maintained contact with many of them even though the restaurant has been closed for two years. Stover maintains and very close relationship with the Brown Family to this day and credits their love and support for the reason she stayed so long.

Stover holds a bachelor’s degree from Nasson College and has attended the Muskie School of Public Service. She is an alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where she completed a certificate program in State and Local Government. Stover currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Lincoln Health, is the Board President of the Boothbay Region District Nurses Association, is a Board Member of Medical Care Development, which is the parent organization of Healthy Lincoln County and a member of the Board of Directors of the Boothbay Railway Village. Stover served as a member of the Boothbay Planning Board for six years where she developed an appreciation for the rules and laws governing development and land use the town of Boothbay.

On Monday, April 25, Stover was awarded the 2022 Legislator of the Year by the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault. This award is given in recognition of Stover’s initiation and advocacy for legislation that supports the needs of child and adult victim and survivors of sexual assault.

A Campaign Launch Party is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Tugboat Inn in Boothbay Harbor. All are welcome to attend.