Greetings, esteemed members of the Maine media:

In this high-profile election year, we at the Secretary of State’s office are beginning to discuss plans for this year’s Student Mock Election and are mulling a “media in politics” theme for the event.

We are looking for partners in this effort, so if you have any ideas or resources that relate to the political process and the media’s role, that would be great to share.

We also know that transportation to the event (which takes place in Augusta) can be a significant barrier for schools, so we are asking media outlets statewide to consider a contest or other sort of sponsorship promotion that would award a school group by covering the costs for them to attend the Mock Election.

This bi-annual event covers elementary through high school and we’re just starting to nail down the details and brainstorm great ideas for activities that will get Maine youth excited about voting. Thank you for your consideration and I hope to follow up with you soon to discuss some ideas if your media outlet is interested in participating.

Best,

Kristen Schulze Muszynski

Director of Communications

Department of the Secretary of State

148 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333

Office: 207-626-8404

Cell: 207-441-7638

Melanie Sochan Lawlor joins the marketing team as a part time creative services photographer. Melanie has many years’ experience as a professional photographer. She was a staff photographer at the Tribune Chronicle in Ohio and Saginaw News in Michigan. Since coming to the east coast, Melanie has been a self-employed, owning her own photography business.

Sam Bonsey joins the Portland newsroom as a part time news clerk. Sam is a recent graduate from the University of Maine-Orono, obtaining his bachelor’s degree in journalism. Sam was an intern with the sports staff at the BDN.

Gina Johnson joins the South Portland distribution team as a part time distribution assistant and Michael Hodgkin joins the South Portland circulation team as a part time field services representative.

(sorry, no pictures of Gina and Michael available.)

Thanks to everyone who attended the Annual Fall Conference on October 17 in Bangor. We were pleased to host 75 attendees at the 2015 Hall of Fame Induction, and 145 MPA members and guests at the Awards Dinner & Banquet.

From engaging sessions, moving Hall of Fame induction speeches to the MPA singalong, surprised Unsung Hero award recipients, and the return of the newspaper entry display boards, this year’s conference had something for everyone.

Now that it’s done and we begin to look ahead to next year’s conference in South Portland, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us what you liked, or what you didn’t like; what worked well, or what could be improved upon; what was missing, or what you’d like to see dropped completely.

Send your raves, your rants, your suggestions or feedback to Diane Norton, MPA Executive Director at mainepressmail@gmail.com.

Unfortunately, we are declaring the Analysis category — both weekly and daily categories —  permanently lost. The judge repeatedly insists he sent back the winners but we received no notifications in any form. We understand this is extremely disappointing to everyone who entered and we share in your frustration. With the volume of categories to be judged and the numerous volunteer judges enlisted, we routinely face the loss of a few categories every year.

Thank you for your continued support of the Maine Press Association and the yearly contest.