By Bonnie Washuk,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Well-respected for her careful consideration of how her votes would affect the pocketbooks of citizens, longtime state legislator Georgette Berube, 77, died early Wednesday after a long illness.

Within hours of her death, former colleagues described her as a matriarch, someone grounded in her community, who never took for granted the trust of those who voted for her, and as a legislator who advocated for Lewiston and especially seniors.

Berube, a Democrat and Franco-American, represented Lewiston in the Legislature for almost three decades.

She served from 1970 through 2000, missing only two terms: In 1982 she ran unsuccessfully against Joe Brennan for governor; in 1996 she was sidelined for two years because of term limits.

In February 2000, at age 72, Berube decided not to run for re-election to the Senate, saying she was retiring with mixed emotions.

Serving in Augusta meant she missed her granddaughters. But Berube said that by retiring she would miss advocating for Lewiston residents, which she considered one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

A Democrat, Berube won respect from both parties for her view on state spending, which in her own words was: “It’s not easy come, easy go.'” Legislators need to ask more hard questions from state bureaucrats about the use of taxpayers’ money, she said.

“They’ll say, We want $7 million,’ and we allocate $7 million for various agencies,” Berube said in an interview in 2000. “You know, we’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars spread out. Do we really know the outcome? That’s one thing that disturbs me,” she said, calling herself a fiscal conservative. “I grew up in a different era. I grew up in the Depression. You didn’t waste.”

Berube became known as a maverick Democrat during her three decades in the State House, not afraid to buck the party line or tackle controversial issues.

In January 1996 Berube filed a bill that would prohibit gay marriage in Maine by defining marriage as being between “one man and one woman.”

The measure was at odds with another filed by then-Sen. Dale McCormick, D-Hallowell, who called Berube’s bill “so far right it’s off the cliff.”

McCormick, a founding member of the Maine Lesbian/Gay Politican Alliance, later withdrew hers.

Berube’s bill included a provision, however, that protected gays. It proved to be a forerunner of efforts to extend the state’s Hate Crimes Act to protect victims of violence aimed at homosexuals.

Berube was described Wednesday as someone who made a difference, someone so respected that other politicians worked to gain her respect.

“No one was more devoted to her constituents, who had the greatest respect for the people she served,” said Berube’s successor, Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston.

“She was a great mentor to many of us who were inspired by her service. I will miss her terribly,” Rotundo said.

She called Berube the “matriarch” of Lewiston, someone who was the “grande dame” of the Legislature for years.

Berube set the standard for others to follow, Rotundo said, including herself. Berube used to tell about a man she met while campaigning years ago that left an impression on her. He was a mill worker.

“She used this person as a touchstone, remembering how hard that man worked for his money,” and how her actions would affect him and others, Rotundo recalled.

Through his press office, Gov. John Baldacci, suffering with broken ribs after a fall, recalled serving with Berube in the state Senate. He called her an ardent advocate of senior and youth issues, who was deeply committed to promoting issues that all of Maine, and especially Lewiston, cared about.

Members of Maine’s congressional delegation also praised Berube. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Maine has lost one of the “finest examples of a dedicated and conscientious public servant who always put the state and her community” ahead of herself.

Collins expressed condolences to Berube’s family, including her son Claude, now serving overseas in the military.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe and her husband, former Gov. John McKernan, issued the following statement:

“Lewiston has lost one of its greatest daughters today. … Her thoughtful approach to government transcended party politics, and she made a tremendous contribution to Lewiston and the state of Maine. Georgette will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud also recalled serving with Berube in the state Senate.

“Georgette symbolized all that is right about public service, tirelessly doing the people’s business in the spirit of true bipartisanship and without need for recognition,” Michaud said.

Berube was fiercely proud of her Franco-American heritage, although she referred to herself as an American of French descent.

For years she hosted a French language radio program. She was also a regular at French Fridays, a gathering of French-speaking people who joined in fellowship at Marois Restaurant.

She chaired the advisory board for the Franco-American collection at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, and was active with Lewiston’s Festival du Joie and in creating the Franco-American Heritage Center at the former St. Mary’s Church.

Mayor Lionel Guay, who served with Berube on festival activities as well as on the center’s board, called her “very, very devoted to Lewiston and its people.”

“She was always ready to help anyone,” he said. “She was an icon in the community.”

– Staff writer Doug Fletcher contributed to this report