This is my only letter ever written to the editor regarding a political candidate. I feel compelled to write now because I have firsthand experience of a candidate’s personal qualities and character traits. It’s very common to have an opinion of a political candidate. What’s rare is to be able to develop one over years of personal interaction and witness that individual successfully drive a major state initiative. 

When I had my own consulting business in the middle 2000s, I won the three-year contract to implement the State of Maine Central Voter Registration system (CVR). This was a federally funded program that had me working with/for Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. As the project manager for the CVR program, I was responsible for assuring all functionality was defined, built and tested by the multiple vendor teams and implemented across 500 municipalities. 

Over the three-year span of CVR, I had countless interactions with Secretary Dunlap in impromptu conversations, problem resolution meetings, project status reviews and formal presentations across state government.

I witnessed someone focused on the strategic leadership of the effort while staying grounded, levelheaded and personable to all team members. I witnessed exceptional judgment keeping us aligned to federal requirements and the unique needs of the citizens of Maine. Matt Dunlap has the intellect, leadership and personal qualifications to be the U.S. representative for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. This I have witnessed.

David Stine
Cape Elizabeth