Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,

Last December 28th, a 25 square-mile piece of ice was reported to have broken loose in the Arctic. I felt as though the shock wave went through our unfrozen pond in Springvale. Global Warming had my full attention. I found myself considering our mild weather with more trepidation, studying about Climate Change, reading more and devoting more time to being well informed.

I began to make myself step off the treadmill of our busy lives to stop and look around, to really look to see what was happening - and not happening - around us. I began to see our students, my colleagues at Noble, and the challenges that they and their families face with greater clarity. I began listening to people more intently. I realized between the lines of our discourse that many of us felt as though we had gone to sleep with our American Dream intact, and woke up wondering where our confidence in the future had gone.

I have always been well informed. I have always paid attention. I loved history and politics enough as a young man to major in political science and minor in philosophy. I became a social studies teacher because I wanted my students to pay attention, to help take responsibility for their world, to champion a better future for our country. I did all that I could do in any given day, and thought that it had to be enough. Somewhere along the way, however, I got used to bad news. I stopped really understanding the totality of the challenges before us. Last spring I began to wonder if my efforts were, in fact, enough. I was compelled to start asking myself some hard questions about my life, my family, our world and my future.

My questions ran deep, deep enough for me to let go of my dream job as Principal of Noble High School so that I could reevaluate how I was investing my life, and convincing enough for Claire to support me every step of the way. I explored these questions through researching the reality of current national issues, from the fact that 100 million of our people are living in or on the edge of poverty, to our over-dependence on fossil fuels. I then began looking for a framework of thought that would offer guidance in correcting our course as a nation. My understanding grew. My questions became clearer. “How can I best help? How should I invest the next chapter of my life? The result was as clear in my heart as the sound of rushing water in a Class III rapid. I was compelled to explore the possibility of trying to affect change as an elected official.

I asked myself, “What could I contribute in public life that would really help?” I thought. I prayed. I talked with several family members and friends. Together we explored the possibilities. We came to call ourselves Project 2008. The framework of thought that this small team of uncommon, common people has helped me develop is exciting and extremely promising. In this work I have found real hope for our future, a clear vision of what could be, and a guide to find a new course for Maine and the Nation. I believe that this message is of national significance.

I assessed all of the options for elected public service and decided that the best way to get our message out, the best way to really make a difference for our people and our communities, would be to run for the United States Senate.

On Saturday, January 19th at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland, at 6:00 in the evening, it is my intention to formally announce my candidacy for the U.S. Senate to you. I intend to kick off a statewide campaign by fully presenting the values, principles, and policy directions with which I will run, and by celebrating this monumental decision with you, many other family members, friends, colleagues and new acquaintances.

It is important to me that you share this special time with us. Next to getting married and raising a family, this is the most important thing that I have ever done. I want to share my message with you, while at the same time I need your support in order for that message to begin to resonate across the State. The evening will be a lot of fun and I promise that you will find the event inspiring. We will gather at 6:00, followed by dinner at 6:30, a formal program, live music and dancing.

In a Spirit of Partnership,

Tom Ledue

Filed under Tom's Journal. Date: December 12, 2007, 3:11 pm |