Government

Arata, Coolidge run for House District 65 seat

Only one of the candidates for House District 65 says she is related to a former U.S. President, but the two women squaring off this November have at least one thing in common: their birthday.

That’s not where the similarities end with Republican Amy Arata and Democrat Misty Coolidge, both of New Gloucester. They both own small businesses, both are originally from central Maine, both are married with three children, and both joke about being mistaken for one another by voters.

But in their race to replace Rep. Ellie Espling in a seat that represents New Gloucester and part of Poland in the Maine House of Representatives, the two candidates differ on whether they’d follow in Espling’s footsteps.  Keep reading