Susan Collins’ true value in Maine is on the ground | Opinion

[](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) _[Read all of our coverage](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the [Maine Political Report](https://www.pressherald.com/mprnewsletter/) in your inbox or [text messages](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/11/maine-political-news-sent-right-to-your-phone-sign-up-for-text-alerts-from-our-editor/) from politics editor Kirby Wilson._ **Harvey Berman** _lives in Raymond._ When I think about Sen. Susan Collins’ impact on Maine, I don’t think first about the numbers, though they are impressive. I think about the places and the people. I think about the fire stations in small towns that used to be held together with plywood and volunteer ingenuity, and now stand as real, safe facilities because Collins made sure those communities weren’t forgotten. I think about the behavioral health programs that now exist for children and families because she understood that care of mental health is not a luxury, but a lifeline. And I think about the quiet, steady way Collins has gone about this work for years, without fanfare, but with a deep sense of responsibility to the state she serves. Over the decades, and especially in her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Collins has helped bring hundreds of millions dollars into Maine for projects that matter at the ground level. These are not abstract policy achievements. They are the kinds of investments that change the daily lives of people in towns like St. Agatha, Marshfield and Belgrade. They are the kinds of projects that small communities could never have funded on their own. I have watched Collins support public safety in a way that feels very close to home. She helped build or modernize fire stations in Swan’s Island, St. Albans, Belgrade, Marshfield, Thomaston and St. Agatha. She secured funding for police upgrades in Belfast and for a new facility in Holden that honors the memory of Chief Chris Greeley. These are not just buildings. They are commitments to the volunteers and professionals who show up at the worst moments in people’s lives. I have seen her shape infrastructure in ways that strengthen entire regions. She secured [$9.2 million](https://www.wabi.tv/2025/08/26/ribbon-cutting-ceremony-tuesday-mark-completion-route-1-searsport/) for the reconstruction of Route 1 in Searsport and $5 million for improvements in Camden. She [supported](https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/02/25/livermore-falls-wastewater-treatment-facility-to-get-more-upgrades/) wastewater upgrades in Livermore Falls, Jay, Mechanic Falls and Belfast. These projects protect public health, support local economies and preserve the natural environment that defines Maine. Her work on behalf of Maine’s working waterfronts has been equally important. Collins delivered [$2 million](https://www.collins.senate.gov/services/funding-maines-future/2000000-searsport-municipal-pier-improvements) for improvements to Searsport municipal pier and [$1.65 million](https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/collins-supports-searsport/article_c6e99fbe-8385-5775-8a7e-b0325a9c43a1.html) for harbor dredging that keeps fuel tankers moving safely. Collins has supported major investments at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Bangor Air National Guard Base, facilities that anchor thousands of jobs and sustain families across the state. For me personally, her commitment to behavioral health has always stood out. Having spent my life working to build systems of care for children and families, I know how rare it is to find a public leader who truly understands the importance of this work. Sen. Collins secured [$5.6 million](https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/nearly-71-million-for-maine-hospitals-and-health-centers-secured-by-senator-collins-in-funding-bill) for Spurwink’s Behavioral Health Center in Lewiston and $2.6 million for the expansion of St. Mary’s Behavioral Health Emergency Department. She has supported crisis services, early intervention and community‑based mental health programs across Maine. These are the kinds of investments that don’t make headlines, but they change the trajectory of lives. Her support for education and workforce development reflects the same long‑view thinking. She has directed funds to the University of Maine System, to community colleges, to STEM programs like the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s new STEM Community Center and to workforce‑housing infrastructure in Auburn. These projects help young people stay in Maine, build careers in Maine and contribute to the future of Maine. And in small towns across the state, you can see her influence in the community centers, libraries and civic buildings that give rural life its sense of place. She has helped build or renovate community centers in Littleton, Searsmont, Penobscot, Northport, Westfield and Solon. She supported the A.B. Ricker Memorial Library in Poland and the Trinity Jubilee Center, which provides food, shelter and job support to people who need it most. She also co-authored, along with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Social Security Fairness bill that affected the lives of teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public servants for more than 25,000 Mainers, and so many more, across the country , who now receive their earned Social Security benefits.  When you put all of this together, you see a portrait of a senator who understands Maine not from a distance, but up close. Someone who knows the names of the towns, the needs of the families and the challenges of the systems that hold communities together. Someone who believes, as I do, that leadership is about responsibility, service and the quiet work of strengthening the common good. Every single one of us has benefited by the love and commitment that Sen. Collins has brought to our state.  Page 2 of 2 Copy the Story Link Tagged: [columns](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/columns/), [election 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/), [senate 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/senate-2026/)