Lynne Williams

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Lynne Williams
Image of Lynne Williams
Prior offices
Maine House of Representatives District 135
Successor: Daniel Sayre
Predecessor: Brian Hubbell

Maine House of Representatives District 14
Successor: Gary Friedmann
Predecessor: Lynn Copeland

Education

Bachelor's

Merrimack College, 1972

Graduate

City University of New York, 1975

Law

Golden Gate University School of Law, 1998

Ph.D

University of Southern California, 1981

Personal
Birthplace
New York, N.Y.
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Lynne Williams (Democratic Party) was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, representing District 14. She assumed office on December 6, 2022. She left office on April 1, 2024.

Williams (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Maine House of Representatives to represent District 14. She did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 11, 2024.

Williams left office on April 1, 2024, to pursue an "unexpected professional opportunity".[1]

Biography

Lynne Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Bar Harbor, Maine. Williams graduated from Catherine McAuley School for Girls in 1967. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Merrimack College in 1972, an M.A. in experimental psychology from City University of New York in 1975, a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Southern California in 1981, and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1998. Williams’ career experience includes working as an attorney and as a research assistant with the Social Science Research Institute.[2][3][4]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Williams was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Williams was assigned to the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2024

See also: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Maine House of Representatives District 14

Gary Friedmann defeated Sandra Gray in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 14 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Gary Friedmann
Gary Friedmann (D)
 
68.3
 
4,291
Sandra Gray (R)
 
31.7
 
1,989

Total votes: 6,280
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 14

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Gary Friedmann in round 1 .


Total votes: 999
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 14

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Sandra Gray in round 1 .


Total votes: 428
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Williams in this election.

Pledges

Williams signed the following pledges.

  • U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Maine House of Representatives District 14

Incumbent Lynne Williams defeated Stephen Coston in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 14 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lynne Williams
Lynne Williams (D)
 
66.6
 
3,620
Stephen Coston (R)
 
33.4
 
1,814

Total votes: 5,434
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 14

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Lynne Williams in round 1 .


Total votes: 1,522
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 14

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Stephen Coston in round 1 .


Total votes: 499
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

2020

See also: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Maine House of Representatives District 135

Lynne Williams defeated Timothy Oh and Benjamin Meiklejohn in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 135 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lynne Williams
Lynne Williams (D) Candidate Connection
 
55.3
 
3,425
Image of Timothy Oh
Timothy Oh (R) Candidate Connection
 
31.5
 
1,952
Image of Benjamin Meiklejohn
Benjamin Meiklejohn (G)
 
13.3
 
822

Total votes: 6,199
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 135

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Lynne Williams in round 1 .


Total votes: 1,509
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 135

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Timothy Oh in round 1 .


Total votes: 630
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Green primary election

Green Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 135

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Benjamin Meiklejohn in round 1 .


Total votes: 49
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

2010

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2010

Williams was defeated by Republican candidate Brian Langley in the November 2 general election. Democratic incumbent Dennis Damon was not eligible for re-election.[5]

In the June 8th primary election, Williams ran unopposed.[6]

Maine State Senate, District 28 - Green Primary (2010)
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Lynne Williams 158 100%

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Lynne Williams did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Lynne Williams did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Lynne Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a decades-long progressive activist, as well as an attorney. With a Ph.D in Social Psychology, I've been a mediator for over thirty years. I worked for Tom Hayden during his first successful election to the California State Legislature and in 1984 worked on Gary Hart's first presidential campaign. After the 1984 Democratic State Convention in San Francisco, I remained in the SF Bay Area for the next 14 years, working for a progressive member of the S.F. Board of Supervisors and on numerous local Democratic campaigns, as well as graduating from law school. In 1998, my son and I moved to Maine, and eventually Bar Harbor. As a Maine attorney, I choose to represent protesters engaging in civil disobedience, including peace and environmental activists. I also represented members of Occupy Maine in 2012 litigation in Federal court and have done significant environmental litigation. As a decades-long member of the National Lawyers Guild, I have litigated civil liberties actions alongside the Maine ACLU. I also currently do legal work for small businesses in Maine, many from the cannabis sector, and am on the Legal Panel of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
  • I am committed to my community and all Mainers to bring about positive social, envirnomental and economic change.
  • I seek to raise up those who our society as a whole has forgotten.
  • My political and organizing experience is extensive.
Medicare for All, including substance abuse treatment, and the parallel decriminalization of substance abuse disorder.

Equal justice before the law, including the abolition of for-profit prisons.
The protection of voting rights and free and fair elections, including Ranked Choice Voting.
The Green New Deal, as it is currently worded at the national level.
The availability of free higher education for all, not just college but vocational training, apprenticeships and re-training when job sectors shrink or disappear.
Increased and improved transportation for rural Mainers.
Toughening up the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Fair and just compensation for all workers, starting - but not stopping - with a $15 minimum wage, with scheduled increased put into law, as well as a legal requirement that employers treat gig workers as employees.

A People's History of the United States," by Howard Zinn. To me, elected office is not about power, it's about people.
I want to continue working towards changing things for the better for all of those people who have been left behind - economically, educationally, and medically, who have been left out, discriminated against, mocked, hurt and humiliated, had the door slammed in their face. I want people to know that I take on challenges and never let the odds stop me. My father is my inspiration, as is my son. My late father was blind and my son is hearing impaired. And if they can be successful, we all can. But many of us need some help. I want to make sure everyone gets that.
The assassination of President Kennedy. I was thirteen years old, in my classroom in a Catholic elementary school, and all the nuns were crying. We all had pictures of the President in our classroom.
"Ripple," by the Grateful Dead, is always in my head..."Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again." Beautiful.
There is little difference between our chambers, except for size, the House being significantly larger than the State Senate. Members of both chamber run every 2 years, are term limited out at 4 terms (although if they skip a term they may run again), are paid the same and each chamber may introduce bills.
I am mixed on this question, although I do think that involvement with a broad swath of the public is always helpful, as well as an understanding of rules of process. For example someone who comes out of work with a union, or runs a school, or deals with the court system will be one step ahead of someone less familiar with systems and rules. However, in my experience lobbying and otherwise interacting with legislatures, I have found that the advantages dissipates over time.
Our state is the oldest state in the nation, and attracting new Mainers is our greatest challenge. Our cost of living is low, real estate costs are low, and our schools are excellent. However, to attract new Mainers we need to create more jobs, particular in the tech and creative industries, as well as improving public infrastructure such as broadband and transportation.
I believe that the ideal relationship is what we currently have: the Governor may veto a bill and to overcome the veto the Legislature must obtain a 2/3 vote in both houses. However, and this relates to the current state of affairs, with COVID-19, the Legislature recessed in March 2020 because of the virus, and the Governor has pretty much governed by Executive Order since that time. I do not believe this is optimal and if I had been in the leadership of the Legislature I would have pushed strongly for the Legislature to limit its recess and get back to work as a partner to, and a check on, the Governor.
Definitely. I know from experience, that more we trust someone the better we work with them. My philosophy is that as long as I can agree with someone on at least one issue, I can work with them, at least on that issue. And trust often comes from getting to know someone on a social level.
I believe that Maine's current system, with the legislature leading the redistricting effort, with input from a Commission made up a legislators and public members, having input. The backup, if the legislature cannot come up with a plan, is to send the issue to the State Supreme Court (Law Court), where it ended up following the 2010 census. It is probable that this provides an impetus for the legislature to come to consensus on a redistricting plan. However, the 2013 involvement of the Court showed that it made very few changes in the legislature's plan.
Transportation, Veteran's and Legal Affairs, and Judiciary or Criminal Justice.
I would be interested. That obviously won't occur to a newly elected legislator, but after my first term I would be interested in a leadership role.
Two of my favorite legislators are Troy Jackson and Craig Hickman. Both are fierce advocates for progressive causes and supporters of rural districts in Maine. Craig is an organic farmer, Troy is a logger, and they are real fighters.
A story I have heard many times over the years, both as a candidate and when I wasn't running, is from family members of someone who has a disability and how there are still so many changes that we have to make in order to increase independence for their family member. My own adult son has a disability, so I am particularly sensitive to these stories.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2010

On her campaign website, Williams outlines these 10 key values as her main priorities:[7]

  • Grassroots Democracy - "We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process."
  • Social Justice And Equal Opportunity - "All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment."
  • Ecological Wisdom - "Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet."
  • Non-Violence - "It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations."
  • Decentralization - "Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens."
  • Community based economics and economic justice - "Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our 'quality of life'."
  • Feminism and gender equality - "We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender."
  • Respect for diversity - "We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines."
  • Personal and global responsibility - "We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony."
  • Future focus and sustainability - "Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival."


Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Lynne Williams campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Maine House of Representatives District 14Withdrew primary$0 $0
2022Maine House of Representatives District 14Won general$8,382 $8,398
2020Maine House of Representatives District 135Won general$9,376 N/A**
Grand total$17,758 $8,398
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Maine

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Maine scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

In 2024, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to April 17.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
Legislators are scored by MPA on "where they stand on community, investing in the future, fairness, equality, and justice for all Maine people."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to gender equity.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes related to reproductive health issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that would put the tribes in Maine on equal footing with the other federally recognized tribes across the country.


2023


2022


2021


2020






See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Lynn Copeland (D)
Maine House of Representatives District 14
2022-2024
Succeeded by
Gary Friedmann (D)
Preceded by
Brian Hubbell (D)
Maine House of Representatives District 135
2020-2022
Succeeded by
Daniel Sayre (D)


Current members of the Maine House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Ryan Fecteau
Majority Leader:Matthew Moonen
Minority Leader:Billy Bob Faulkingham
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
Dean Cray (R)
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
Adam Lee (D)
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
Mana Abdi (D)
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
Amy Arata (R)
District 105
District 106
District 107
District 108
District 109
District 110
District 111
Amy Kuhn (D)
District 112
District 113
District 114
District 115
District 116
District 117
District 118
District 119
District 120
District 121
District 122
District 123
District 124
District 125
District 126
District 127
District 128
District 129
District 130
District 131
District 132
District 133
District 134
District 135
District 136
John Eder (R)
District 137
District 138
District 139
District 140
District 141
District 142
District 143
District 144
District 145
District 146
District 147
District 148
District 149
District 150
District 151
Democratic Party (76)
Republican Party (73)
Independent (1)
Unenrolled (1)