Robyn Stanicki was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Maine. Stanicki's career experience includes working as a clinical researcher, in the criminal justice, social work, and behavioral health fields; and with a military medical unit. She has been affiliated with the Health Equity Alliance, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine Equal Justice, and the Maine People's Alliance.[1]
Democratic Primary for Maine State Senate District 11
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Glenn Curry in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
Robyn Stanicki completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stanicki's responses.
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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
I'm Robyn and I live in Belfast. I am a social worker and clinical researcher, and my job is to help physicians have productive yet difficult conversations with their patients about substance use. I coach teams focused on improving systems-healthcare systems mostly-but this skill set applies to any group struggling to agree on the best course of action. This is especially true in policymaking. I believe that any law making strategy should fold in the experiences of the people you're trying to help, occupying and creating spaces where their perspectives are valuable. Often the best way to understand policy is to be negatively impacted by it.
To understand me now, it's important to know where I've been. Poverty, foster care, domestic abuse, lack of healthcare or educational opportunity, kids with special needs and being a single mom are just a few of the ways that I relate to others that struggle. It took me more than 20 years to overcome many of these, and the effects are lasting. As a young mom I joined the military with my husband and worked for the Department of Defense and the VA. My 10 years living and working with the US Army showed me that 'a system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets'. When I came home in 2010, I enrolled in college and had such a hard time balancing my priorities as a single mom, student, and full time employee. My kids often went without. I decided that success shouldn't be earned by sacrificing so much.
Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?
This Pandemic has shown us that our system is weak and vulnerable. These overlapping crises-economic, social, climate- are overwhelmingly urgent. To address one above others is short-sighted and honestly, a waste of energy (no pun intended). A robust recovery plan must also address the Land Claims Act and Maine Tribal Sovereignty, designed to restore and protect the lands belonging to indigenous Mainers. I support a climate jobs guarantee, which would strengthen our climate crisis response and support the goals of the Maine Climate Council. This will also create new public employment initiatives designed to modernize our region's infrastructure and ensure that everyone's basic needs are met.
We can't continue to tinker with a system that needs a major overhaul. I'm the only candidate with the political courage to step outside of the acceptable norms in policy and propose the kinds of changes we all desperately need. Offering solutions like high-speed broadband is a opportunity, but what we really need is the ability to overcome challenges. Beyond internet access or higher incomes, we need our society to foster resilience so that we can weather storms more effectively, because storms will come. This Pandemic is only one of many in our memories and our future. I've spent a lifetime building resistance and resilience against a broken system. Sometimes, knowing when to present a solution is as important as the merit of it.
In graduate school, I began to work with advocacy groups and lawmakers who also felt that Maine families should have reliable healthcare, educational opportunities, and fair tax structures to provide for our future. I've served on boards and working groups to make system wide changes and developed programs for struggling families. With groups such as The Maine People's Alliance and Maine Equal Justice, I've worked on bills to reform taxes, social support systems, and now, our economic recovery efforts. I believe that we need to move forward with a Green New Deal for Maine, focusing on a climate jobs guarantee, and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. But most importantly, If nothing changes, nothing will change!
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I have worked to protect people, to give them strength to overcome their challenges. I do this because I feel called to serve and to improve the system that we all depend on and which defines how successful we are. I believe that we have been given an incredible opportunity to transform our communities: every transformation has been the beneficiary of movements like this one. I've worked hard to change my life and the world around me, and I ask that Waldo County residents vote for me and their own transformation.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I've had a hard time finding role models in my life, and I think it would be impossible to answer this question fully with just one name. I am a combination of every good deed I've done, every mercy that has been granted to me, every gift that I've been given, and every impression, positive or negative, that has been imparted to me throughout my lifetime. I consider everyone I meet to be a model for my own behavior or perspective.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Transparency, trust, admit when you're wrong, don't hide behind a curtain. Be visible.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To re-present the voices and needs of the community.
To educate oneself on the issues at hand.
To coordinate efforts with other lawmakers to find solutions and successful models.
To LISTEN to CONSTITUENTS. Not just wait until they come to you-often they won't. If they aren't, find out why.
What legacy would you like to leave?
"She really cared about us," or "She did so many things to make our lives better."
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I think it was the Berlin Wall coming down, I was 9 at the time. I also remember the seige at Waco Texas and the LA Riots. As a young child I didn't understand the context of these besides what I was told on the media, and through adults. I was so surprised to learn all the ways that we adjust the truth for our own comfort.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was working as a housekeeper for a nursing home while I was in high school. I was living on my own, and I walked to school and work everyday. I loved the job! I worked there for several years, and was unceremoniously fired after making an innocent mistake-after mopping a floor, I replaced a resident's side table in the wrong position, causing the resident to fall in the middle of the night and severely injure herself. The guilt of that has stuck with me for so many years.
For the next decade or so, the only jobs that I managed to work were those that didn't require a bachelor's degree, and I worked hard to get promoted into positions of higher responsibility. Despite this hard work, I still had a hard time paying the bills, and often I would have to choose between fuel oil and hoping I didn't get the power disconnected.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Leo Tolstoy, Three Questions. Because it is the Perfect Tool for Life. I won't spoil it for ya :)
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
None specifically, but make sure it is a children's book character. They are always looking for answers, learning something cool, and full of hopeful optimism-If not, I would say that they learn how to be.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Everything. Nothing came easy and I don't expect for that to change. I'm a survivor.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
The representation is more localized in Maine. However I feel that Senators who have larger areas to cover do not take advantage of the relationships they can and should have with representatives in their district as well.
My opponents respond that they are 'small town rural' democrats that plan to focus on the issues in their hometown. I think this is great-for a small town rural representative. Run for that office. A senator by contrast needs to recognize their position is a much larger cog in the system of government, and it would be shortsighted to focus only inward toward their own community. As a Senatorship, our influence extends beyond our constituency and we can maximize our own effectiveness by working together with other districts, and higher levels of government.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
It is, but is not imperative that this be as an elected official. We need to value skill sets that are transferable. To think outside the box, we need to have multiple definitions of the box, what is inside and outside-including professionals.
I am the only candidate with the level and amount of experience in Augusta that I do. When I heard about our open seat, I was standing INSIDE the capitol building, actively working on LD 1955 to expand dental benefits for the poor. I have countless bills that I have worked on that have won support in the legislature and signed into law. I work on several boards, working groups, and advocacy organizations to get the results we need.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
A year aog, I may have offered a slightly different answer; however our current reality shows the overlapping crises that must be a priority. Economic recovery and moving from a harmful extractive economy, while implementing a sustainable economy that advances climate goals. We need to bring the GREEN NEW DEAL to Maine. I am the only candidate endorsed by both The Sierra Club and Renew New England, both focused on bringing a climate jobs approach to the overlapping economic, social, and climate crises we face.
The core of this policy platform - developed by the Renew New England Alliance - is a Jobs
Guarantee, which will ensure that everyone who wants a job will have one. Ultimately, this must be backed by the federal government and implemented nationwide. But we cannot wait for this to happen. New England states will implement the Jobs Guarantee by supporting local, small businesses and creating new public employment initiatives designed to modernize our region's infrastructure and ensure that everyone's basic needs are met in the areas of (1) housing, (2) healthcare, (3) food, (4) energy, (5) transportation, and (6) clean air and water.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
I think it is important to be curious instead of judgemental, foster trust and accountability, and be consistently communicative. This relationship, or reputation, would serve any legislator well.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Health and human services, housing and labor, taxation and climate. Ultimately these are assigned so I will accept the recommendations of Senate leadership.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
I would love to, however I will spend my first term observing current leadership in their roles. I would accept the nomination if this does happen.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Colleen Madigan, Tori Kornfield, Thom Harnett, Drew Gattine. AOC, Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Warren. Genevieve McDonald.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Probably Governor. Not the US Congress.
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
All the stories of black and brown and new Mainers as they struggle to find a place in our society. This problem is intense, widespread, and ingrained in our behavior and our history. To change this narrative, community leaders must demonstrate this reformation with a renewed mind and transparency. We must come down hard on known discrimination and propose tough, radical changes to a system that discriminates, disadvantages, and disposes of black lives, including black LGBTQ communities.
Legislative solidarity can be demonstrated by establishing a Committee within the Maine Legislature, tasked with researching the racial and economic disparities of minority ethnic groups. We need to be vigilant about addressing the racial impact of current law, and to put forward considerable effort in seeking out the perspectives and representation of People of Color in the lawmaking sphere.
Maine needs to address police operations to ensure that our Criminal Justice System reflects renewed human values. Support a measure that would create a Criminal Records Review Committee, and offer remunerations for fines and jail time incurred. One suggestion to centralize police training includes a proposed regulatory licensing board, an idea that needs to be thoroughly explored. Defund the militarization of police forces, and find alternatives for sending children to jail. Remember, what we invest in will continue to grow.
Invest in our communities. Increase the use of social workers to respond to mental health issues that are not a threat to public safety. Keep people with substance use concerns out of prisons and get them help. Make sure that children have adult mentors that they trust. And finally, finally, recognize black history and culture in Maine schools, ensuring that the narrative of black lives in America shows the impact of long term and widespread racism in our country.
We can move beyond Black Lives Matter as a minimum, affirming that they are also loved, needed.
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