Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to honor a member of my staff, Mark LeDuc, who will soon retire after decades of distinguished service. Mark exemplifies the ideal public servant, demonstrating integrity, thoroughness, a spirit of inquiry, and hard work in every undertaking. Above all, Mark has always demonstrated his belief that it is an honor to serve the people of Maine and our Nation. Mark was born in New Jersey, but his father's final tour of duty in the U.S. Navy brought the family to Maine, where they were finally home. I first met Mark in 1986 at a campaign event for then- Representative John McKernan, who was running for Governor of the State of Maine. He had recently graduated from a joint degree program at Columbia Law School and the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He had just moved back to Maine with his wife Marie, whom he had met while they were both studying at Princeton. Mark and I both went on to work in the Governor McKernan's administration. Mark served as head of the Governor's legislative staff, and I was commissioner of professional and financial regulation in his cabinet. At the time, Maine's workers compensation market was in the midst of a crisis, leading to a 17-day State government shutdown. Mark and I worked closely together on the reform legislation that ended the shutdown and successfully resolved the crisis.…”