Josanne Dolloff’s reason for running for the Maine Legislature is simple: Several issues had been troubling her for a long time, and she realized it was time to help address them. Plus, she’d like to have her daughters and grandchildren who live nearby to stay put – and not have cause to move.

So when Oxford County Republican Committee Chair Joe Martin asked the lifelong Rumford resident to step up and represent the party against incumbent Democrat John E. Madigan Jr. in House District 115, she said yes.

Being told she was the “really good candidate” he was seeking made a powerful impression, Dolloff admits.

“He gave me time to think about it, and I did. I’m a Christian, and everything just fell into place,” says Dolloff. “People know me here. They know that I’m fair, that I’m honest. And that if someone asks me to do something, I’ll see it all the way through and do my darndest to make it work.”

Dolloff ticks off the issues that had been gnawing at her and another she’s learned on the campaign trail:

“Healthcare isn’t affordable. Our elderly are having to ask themselves if they’re going to pay for food or for their medicines. I’ve witnessed a lot of welfare fraud. And as I’ve been knocking on doors, I’ve met a lot of veterans who have no place to really go,” says Dolloff, retired for a few years from a career in office management and accounting for small businesses. “I think with all that’s going on, it’s just my time to do this.”

Dolloff, who served three terms on the then-SAD 43 school board and on Rumford’s Finance Committee, says more equitable education funding throughout the state is also a priority.

“The pot isn’t being shared fairly, and I hope to bring that around so that students in the rural area I’m going to be representing will get what they need. I’ve always said our kids should be getting the best education we can afford.”

Dolloff adds that she’ll never hesitate to ask questions.

“There was a time when I got a little bullied on the finance committee for asking a lot of questions, but I felt it was my job. I know I can’t save the world, but I think I can be a strong voice for taxpayers in this district, and that’s what I want to be.”

Though she says she’d be happy to add women to the Legislature because they bring a different, necessary perspective to any governing board, that wasn’t a driving force in her decision to run.

“Everybody knows that a male and a female think totally differently, and women bring good insight and don’t come with blinders,” she says, laughing. “But do I think all females on a committee is a good idea? No. Just like I don’t think all men is a good idea. I think a good mixture represents the people best.”

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

Name: Josanne DiConzo Dolloff

Party: Republican

Age: 60

Occupation: Retired from career in office management/accounting

Hometown: Rumford

District: 115

District includes: Rumford, Roxbury, Woodstock, Sumner, and the unorganized territory of Milton Township

Campaign website: N/A

Twitter: N/A

LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2EKOk1U

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2D2ZywN

Opponent: State Rep. John E. Madigan Jr. (D-Rumford). Madigan’s campaign Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2ywzCWI