Sen. Peggy Rotundo speaks out for justice, for fairness and for Lewiston.

She has earned re-election to the state Senate from District 16 with her hard work, dedication and leadership.

First elected in 2000, Rotundo, a Democrat, has risen through the ranks of the state Senate. In the 121st Legislature, she was the chairwoman of the State and Local Government Committee and a member of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

She has used her position to fight for Lewiston and give a voice to people often overlooked in the halls of power. During a difficult budget fight last spring, Rotundo helped protect the disadvantaged, the mentally ill and the injured.

Her record on the environment has earned her the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters, and she has fought to improve the water quality in the Androscoggin River and to reduce the amount of mercury in the state’s waterways.

Rotundo has challenged the unfunded mandates of No Child Left Behind and a grading system that labels good schools as failing. A former chairwoman of the Lewiston School Committee, she understands the challenges local governments face in providing, and paying for, quality public education.

And, in a subject near and dear to advocates of open government, Rotundo has worked to expand Maine’s freedom of access laws.

Rotundo is being challenged by Republican Stavros Mendros, a former state representative, congressional candidate and member of the Lewiston City Council. Mendros led an unsuccessful effort to overturn Maine’s ban on smoking in bars and is staunchly pro-gun, receiving a 100 percent score from Gun Owners of America when he ran for Congress in 2001.

Mendros can be unconventional, to a detriment, and he let down his political party when he failed to attend the Republican National Convention after being elected as a delegate. He cited personal reasons for skipping the event, but he didn’t let people know in time for an alternate to attend.

Rotundo is a proven, effective legislator.

Voters should reward her with a third term.