Betsy Sweet & Dale McCormick

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Dale McCormick (born January 17, 1947) won three consecutive terms in the Maine Senate, a remarkable accomplishment for a Democrat in a conservative rural district, and all the more remarkable for a woman who is totally open about her sexual orientation. “I’m Miss Lesbian from Maine” was her response when a Republican opponent tried to make it an issue. “Where has he been?” In 1994 McCormick got 68 percent of the vote. McCormick and her partner since 1985, Betty Sweet, adopted a child in the mid- 1990s.

McCormick began her career in the construction industry as a carpenter. In 1977 she wrote Against the Grain: A Carpentry Manual for Women. A second book, House Mending and Repair for the Rest of Us, was published several years later. In 1988 she started Women Unlimited, an educational organization offering courses in carpentry, road construction, truck driving, surveying, drafting, and other traditionally male occupations. In 1990 she was elected to the Maine Senate.

McCormick was elected state treasurer by the legislature on December 4, 1996, becoming Maine's first female constitutional officer. She was re-elected in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Term limits prevented her from seeking a fifth term in 2004. Gov. John Baldacci subsequently appointed her director of the Maine State Housing Authority.


Dale McCormick won three consecutive terms in the Maine Senate, a remarkable accomplishment for a Democrat in a conservative rural district, and all the more remarkable for a woman who is totally open about her sexual orientation. “I’m Miss Lesbian from Maine” was her response when a Republican opponent tried to make it an issue. “Where has he been?” In 1994 McCormick got 68 percent of the vote. McCormick and her partner since 1985, Betty Sweet, adopted a child in the mid- 1990s.

In 2011, McCormick and her Agency were criticized by MSHA board members appointed by Republican Governor Paul LePage, and ex-officio board member State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin, also a Republican. They accused the MSHA of improper spending of money they felt was inconsistent with the agency's mission, such as donating money to a theater group for ex-convicts, money for massage services for MSHA employees, and money given to groups viewed as left-leaning. McCormick felt the accusations were politically motivated and hurt the ability of the agency to do its job. The Maine Legislature then asked the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) to conduct an expedited review of MSHA's finances. Before the review was completed, McCormick resigned her position, feeling that the continued criticism was a distraction to the agency's work. She also may have been influenced to resign due to the progress of a proposed bill in the Legislature which would have granted the MSHA Board the ability to hire and fire the agency's director at will, including McCormick. The OPEGA review later found that there was no fraud committed by the agency, though it did question some unnecessary expenditures.

McCormick took out papers in 2013 to seek an at-large seat on the Augusta City Council, which she won in the November 5th election.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_McCormick


Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher