Featured Profile

A Most Valuable Representative

Diane Russell  was surprised by her recent honor as Most Valuable State Representative in 2011 given by The Nation magazine.   “I didn’t believe it,” says Russell, a Democrat representing Portland’s Munjoy Hill neighborhood.  “I was tagged in an article by a local blogger and thought ‘how nice of her to mention me.’ It wasn’t until I clicked further and further into the article that I realized that it was a national honor given by The Nation, and not just a mention by a Maine blogger.” 

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A Most Valuable Representative

Diane Russell  was surprised by her recent honor as Most Valuable State Representative in 2011 given by The Nation magazine.   “I didn’t believe it,” says Russell, a Democrat representing Portland’s Munjoy Hill neighborhood.  “I was tagged in an article by a local blogger and thought ‘how nice of her to mention me.’ It wasn’t until I clicked further and further into the article that I realized that it was a national honor given by The Nation, and not just a mention by a Maine blogger.” 

This January, The Nation magazine released its annual Progressive Honor Roll, which features leaders working to  “build a new vision of progressivism for the twenty-first century”.  Russell , an alumna from Emerge Maine’s inaugural class of 2007, was recognized for being a leading advocate to restore same-day voting registration and  for her “determination to pass pro-worker legislation.”  

When reached by phone, Russell said that when she realized the scope of the honor  “I couldn’t speak.  I just started crying.”  

Russell hails from Bryant Pond Maine, a small town known for being the last place in the country to update their phones from crank to dial tone.  This was in 1983, when Russell was seven years old.  She stayed in Maine for college, earning a degree in media studies from USM, before moving to Philadelphia and working on nonprofit management for several years.  Russell said she was looking for something to feel passionate about when she found herself “yelling at George W. Bush through the computer.  That’s when I realized I was passionate about politics.”  

So she moved back to Maine and started getting involved in the political arena.  In 2007, she was part of Emerge Maine’s inaugural class, which helped propel her to seek the Munjoy Hill State Representative seat in 2008.  This year she’s running for re-election to serve her third term in Augusta.  Russell has been devoting time to issues of rural broadband and a clean energy petition drive.  

When asked who has been an inspiration to her, Russell doesn’t hesitate to name Samantha Smith, the young girl who reached out to the USSR in the 80s, during the Cold War, asking why the US and USSR were at odds.  Smith heard back from USSR authorities and was invited to visit.  As a girl just a few years younger than Smith, Russell saw the potential for a young girl from Maine to make a difference in the world.  

Now Russell says she has “immense hope for the country” and thinks we “live in an amazing moment in time.”  She sees us coming out of our current political divisions stronger and with important reforms in place.  And given her drive and hard work, Russell herself will be an important part of these reforms.  We look forward to seeing where she goes!

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