DIXFIELD – State Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, has announced his candidacy for re-election to the Maine Senate in District 14.

The district includes 29 towns in Oxford County and the town of Jay in Franklin County.

“From the Canton flood relief, to exciting economic development initiatives, to dealing with the varied needs of our area, I have done my best to represent our area, and look forward to continuing to work hard on the issues of vital importance to the future of our region and the state of Maine,” Bryant said.

In his first term in the Senate, Bryant was the only senator chosen to chair two committees. As chairman of both the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, he sponsored successful measures to stop liquidation harvesting of Maine woodlands, to stop timber theft, and to save Maine’s dairy farms.

He chairs the Task Force on Veterans Health Services, and supported Dirigo Health to make health coverage more easily available. He sponsored a measure at the request of the Greenwell family of Bethel, who lost a child to meningitis, to ensure that college students are notified about the availability of meningitis shots.

As president of the River Valley Technology Center, Bryant secured more than $1.3 million in state funding for the facility, which provides precision metal-worker training and serves as an incubator for new businesses.

Bryant is the father of three daughters. He is a 24-year employee of MeadWestvaco in Rumford and a member of Local 900 of the Paperworkers Union.