Dale McCormick (born January 17, 1947) is an
American politician
The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...
from the state of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
who currently serves on the city council of
Augusta. McCormick was the
first openly gay member of the
Maine State Legislature
The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...
, having been elected in 1990 to the first of three terms in the
Maine Senate
The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...
. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, she represented a largely rural district that included her then-residence in
Hallowell. After narrowly losing a congressional bid, she served as state treasurer and as director of the
Maine State Housing Authority.
Early life and education
Born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1947, McCormick moved to
Sigourney, Iowa
Sigourney ( ) is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,004 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County. Keokuk County Court ...
in 1955 after her parents got divorced. She graduated from Sigourney High School in 1965 before attending the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
where she graduated in 1970 with a BA and a teaching certificate. After graduation, she stayed in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
and
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
d as a carpenter, becoming the first
journeywoman carpenter in the nation in 1975. In 1977, she wrote and illustrated ''Against the Grain: A Carpentry Manual for Women'' and set up her own construction and cabinetry company.
McCormick moved to Maine in the early 1980s, where she founded a job training program for women in trade and technical occupations. She actively involved herself in political issues and was elected one of Maine's delegates to the
1984 Democratic National Convention
The 1984 Democratic National Convention was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select candidates for the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was nom ...
in San Francisco as well as the
1988 convention in Atlanta.
Political career
In 1990, McCormick ran against and defeated incumbent state senator Norman Weymouth, a Republican from
West Gardiner
West Gardiner is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,671 at the 2020 census. West Gardiner is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.
Geography
According to the United Stat ...
. She took office in December 1990 as the representative of the 18th senate district, which consisted of parts of
Kennebec County
Kennebec County is a County (United States), county located in the South-central portion of the U.S. state of Maine. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 123,642. Its county seat is Augusta, Maine, Augusta, the state ...
as well as the town of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in
Sagadahoc County. She was re-elected in 1992 and 1994.
In 1996, she did not seek re-election to the state senate but instead ran for the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in the
1st district. She lost the Democratic primary to
Tom Allen, winning 24,527 votes to his 26,182. Allen went on to win the general election handily and served six terms in Congress.
McCormick was elected state treasurer by the legislature on December 4, 1996, becoming Maine's first female constitutional officer. She was re-elected in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...
s prevented her from seeking a fifth term in 2004. Gov.
John Baldacci
John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
During hi ...
subsequently appointed her director of the
Maine State Housing Authority.
In 2011, McCormick and her Agency were criticized by MSHA board members appointed by Republican Governor
Paul LePage
Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...
, and ex-officio board member State Treasurer
Bruce Poliquin
Bruce Lee Poliquin (; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Maine's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Poliquin ...
, also a Republican. They accused the MSHA of improper spending of money they felt was inconsistent with the agency's mission, such as donating money to a theater group for ex-convicts, money for massage services for MSHA employees, and money given to groups viewed as left-leaning. McCormick felt the accusations were politically motivated and hurt the ability of the agency to do its job. The
Maine Legislature
The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...
then asked the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) to conduct an expedited review of MSHA's finances. Before the review was completed, McCormick resigned her position, feeling that the continued criticism was a distraction to the agency's work. She also may have been influenced to resign due to the progress of a proposed bill in the Legislature which would have granted the MSHA Board the ability to hire and fire the agency's director at will, including McCormick. The OPEGA review later found that there was no fraud committed by the agency, though it did question some unnecessary expenditures.
McCormick took out papers in 2013 to seek an at-large seat on the
Augusta City Council, which she won in the November 5th election.
Published works
*''Against the Grain: A Carpentry Manual for Women''
*''Housemending: Home Repair For The Rest of Us''
References
External links
Out History*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Dale
Democratic Party Maine state senators
LGBT state legislators in Maine
Lesbian politicians
University of Iowa alumni
Living people
1947 births
Politicians from New York City
Women state legislators in Maine
State treasurers of Maine
People from Sigourney, Iowa
Augusta, Maine City Council members
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
21st-century American women politicians
People from Hallowell, Maine
Women city councillors in Maine
Women state constitutional officers of Maine
21st-century American LGBT people