MAPLETON, Maine — Assistant House Republican Leader Alex Willette of Mapleton will not seek a third term in the Maine House of Represent-atatives. The decision, Willette said, came out of necessity as he will begin his legal career following his May 17 graduation from the University of Maine School of Law.
“I am honored and grateful to my neighbors in The County for putting their trust and confidence in me these past four years, but as a young person, I must focus on my family and my career,” he said. “Serving in Maine’s citizen-legislature has been an invaluable opportunity, and I encourage young people throughout the state to consider elected office early in life. All levels of government benefit from the perspective of the next generation.”
Elected by his peers in the House Republican caucus to legislative leadership at the age of 23 in December of 2012, Willette is the youngest member of state legislative leadership in Maine’s history. He has been an integral part of the Maine Republican Party’s recent youth movement, helping to spread the conservative message of freedom and opportunity to Maine youth and encouraging young Republicans to get involved.
Willette, 25, also serves as Maine’s National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee, the youngest-ever committeeman in the RNC’s history.
“I fully intend to remain active in Republican politics at both the state and national levels because I believe that Republican ideals offer the strongest hope for a prosperous and free future for my generation and many more to come,” said Willette. “I’d like to thank my wife, Melissa, and my parents, Mike and Pamela, for their love and support during my early days in politics and my service in the Legislature. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Willette graduated from Presque Isle High School in 2007, and is a 2011 graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington where he served as chairman of the Maine College Republicans. He is an Eagle Scout and a Master Mason. During his time in the Maine Legislature, where he was elected to House District 7 in November of 2010, Willette sponsored legislation to help the potato farming industry in Aroostook County, crack down on recent drug abuse epidemics, increase the speed limit on I-95 north of Old Town, protect animals and pets, and more.
He was a member of the Republican-controlled 125th Legislature, which, according to Willette, ushered in historic tax, regulatory, pension, welfare and health reforms that have led to the creation of 18,000 private sector jobs and an over two-point drop in Maine’s unemployment rate since January 2011.
