During 26 years as a litigator, Anne Carney specialized in employment, civil rights and municipal law.
She took this expertise to Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA), where she served for eight years as a volunteer attorney for Mainers with income near or below the federal poverty level, providing free legal representation in employment law cases.
As a volunteer attorney with PTLA, she represented migrant farm workers who came to Maine for the blueberry harvest so they could support their families in Haiti. She writes:
It is hard to imagine what they endured. They had wage claims, but even worse, they were housed in deplorable conditions—dozens of men and women sleeping in shifts in a two bedroom trailer with one toilet. We brought Agricultural Worker Protection Act (AWPA) claims in federal court, and I figured out how to get affidavit testimony from clients who spoke Haitian Creole, and often were not able to read, had no phones and sometimes no mailing address. We litigated complex legal issues unique to AWPA for which there was little case law. The clients did not give up and neither did I. This litigation upheld the dignity of our clients, compensated them and led to greatly improved housing.
Anne’s pro-bono legal service included nine years of on the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust board of directors, three as board president. About that experience, she writes:
I have seen how conservation benefits a community and supports economic growth. My work with conservation and land use laws gives me concrete insight into how we can strengthen our laws to promote conservation, and to protect Maine’s natural resources with an agenda that supports renewable energy, fuel-efficient transportation infrastructure, and our $9 billion outdoor recreation and tourism industry.
Anne proposes amending Maine’s Reserved Public Lands law to add criteria for selling or exchanging Public Reserved Lands “to support conservation, restore our natural resources and reduce the risks of climate change.”
Vote for Anne! To support her campaign, please donate and get involved.
Why so few candidates in Maine? There were some great candidates we endorsed in the Maine primaries who unfortunately lost their races. And, we’re sure we missed some. If we did, please send us an email at info[at]citizensregenerationlobby.org.