Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 5

Senator Valentino described how politics also became
important early in her life, “Politics entered my life when
Joe Brennan first ran for Governor. He and Dad grew
up together in Portland. When I turned eighteen, Dad
said, ‘Register as a Democrat and help my friend, Joe.’
Afterward, when I was 22, the Saco Democrats asked me
to run for Saco City Council. I served six years on the
City Council as the Chair of the Finance Committee and
Deputy Mayor. It was the 1970s, and Saco was under the
tax cap and went into default. It was baptism by fire. We
had daily meetings, filled with hundreds of people, all
angry about the massive cuts to local government and
schools. I learned how to negotiate, to keep my cool, and
most of all, to always push forward for a compromise. I
ended my time on the City Council with a failed mayoral
election. I was only the second woman in the history
of Saco to ever run for mayor. When I lost, to what I
perceived as a ‘Good Ole Boy’ Network, I left politics to
start a family.”
At the point when Senator Valentino’s children reached
adulthood, she was motivated to return to school and
focus her career on politics again. “When my daughter,
Katie ’05, a senior at Thornton, brought home college
brochures and applications, I didn’t want to say on
parent surveys that I had a two-year degree. So, thirty
years later, I went back to school and walked in cap and
gown down the aisle at USM with a Bachelor’s degree in
Political Science. I was very proud.

a veteran. Can you imagine that? The bill helped
to rectify these omissions. It was so gratifying. In
addition to the bill, $36,000 was privately raised for
the commemorative plaque in the State House’s Hall
of Flags. The ceremony to install the plaque and
award commemorative coins to the women veterans
overflowed with women from the conflicts in Iran and
Afghanistan to women in wheelchairs for WWII.”
Serving Maine brought a responsibility that felt both
heavy and uplifting for Senator Valentino; she said, “I
have always felt a tremendous responsibility for the
people who elected me. When I’m invited to an event
it’s a responsibility and an honor to show up, whatever
it is. You need to be there for ribbon cuttings,
graduation ceremonies, and community events.
I took the position extremely seriously. I devoted
tremendous time to it.

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“Then, Katie convinced me to return to politics when
she left for college. ‘You’re going to be bored,’ she told
me. So, I started by helping with Baldacci’s gubernatorial
campaign. After spending a year helping someone else
get elected, I thought, ‘I should do it.’ I ran for the State
Legislature and served as Representative for eight years.”
Serving in State government brought her closer to the
experience of more Maine people. Senator Valentino
said, “I remember in my third year as Representative,
when the Department of Health and Human Services
faced budget cuts, I was serving on the Appropriations
Committee. We listened to some 14 hours of testimony.
It was a particularly tough day. We listened as people
gave testimony on abuse of elders, adult caregivers,
and domestic abuse. The stories were horrific. Their
testimonies spoke to why these services are needed. It
was a real eye opener about what goes on in people’s
lives. Financial decision making isn’t just about cutting
budgets, it’s about the impact on Mainers’ daily lives.”
“One of my proudest accomplishments as a
Representative was passage of the women veterans bill
in 2007. The bill was both a recognition and outreach
program. Women who served in WWII, Korean, and
Vietnam Wars were not given veteran’s status until many
years after they completed their tours. Some didn’t even
know they were eligible for benefits. During WWII,
one woman flew into enemy territory to care for the
wounded; she didn