To Council Chair Updograph.

And what I'd like to do is to start out by reading the sentiment.

Um, and then just make a couple comments, and Representative Ankeles would like to make comments as well.

State of Maine, be it known to all that we, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, join in recognizing Sandy Updograph of Brunswick on her retirements from public service.

Over the past 25 years, Miss Updograph has devoted herself to the service of the Brunswick and Freeport community and the people of Maine.

In Freeport, Miss Updograph served six years as the Economic Development Director.

She was one of three community leaders to create and launch the Freeport Chamber of Commerce in 2010.

She drafted a new TIFF policy for the town and worked with the developer to attract the new Freeport Village Station.

In Brunswick, Mrs.

Updograph, Miss Updograft served for seven years on the planning board and six years on the Comprehensive Plan Committee.

Most recently, as we all know, she served two terms on the Brunswick Town Council.

As chair, in the beginning, as chair of the appropriate appointments committee of the town council.

She drafted the original Volunteer Committee handbook.

She was then elected to serve one year as vice chair in 2024 and one year as chair of the town council in 2025.

During this time, she worked intentionally with the town's management to do her best to develop a positive and productive working relationship with the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority.

She championed public engagement, and it was during her weekly Monday morning office hours for Brunswick residents that she came to understand most clearly their needs and those of the community at large.

The Brunswick Council and community have benefited greatly from her steady, fair, and respected leadership.

We extend our congratulations and best wishes.

And be it ordered that this official expression of sentiment be sent forthwith on behalf of the 132nd legislature and the people of the state of Maine.

Now just a couple of comments I'd like to make.

I just would like to share a few personal sentiments of my own.

Starting with how grateful I am for having Councillor Chair Updog here living with us in Brunswick for having her as a trusted, skilled, and respective colleague and friends, which I believe she is for many of us, if not all of us to some degree in this community.

She is a true champion of the people, of finding ways to engage with others effectively, thoughtfully, to understand and lead with compassion and success.

And being a legislator and serving in Augusta, I just need to comment that that is absolutely not always the case.

So there's one more thing I would like to give Sandy, and this thing I'd like to give her.

It's called a challenge coin.

Some of you may have heard of these before, but this the legislature actually has their own challenge coin.

And there's a long history to these that I'm not gonna talk a lot about that, or at least, but the reason I'm I myself am tonight choosing to pass the challenge coin along to Council Chair Updograf.

It is actually a token that legislators give to people who have given much already to their communities.

However, these people still have much left to give.

So that Sandy never forgets how much she has left to give to us and how much we still need her to participate as a leader within our community, how much her ongoing service in whatever way she finds her way forward in service to our community and to the people of Maine, how much we that will mean to us.

And so this it's not actually a challenge, it's just called that.

It's a more of a reminder of how important you are to community, your ongoing leadership, like I said, that you are valued and respected, and that yes, we need you to continue wherever and whenever the path of public service calls to you.

Thank you so much.

Oh, and then there's yeah, two more.

But also Senate uh Brunswick Senator, Senate President Matty Daughtry, and Freeport State Representative Melanie Sachs were were regrettably not able to be with us tonight, but they wanted to make sure that I shared their deep appreciation and gratitude for council chair optigraphs public service to Brunswick to Freeport to Maine.

Now we can go out.

Thank you.

Hi, Sandy.

I Dan Angley's um state representative, District 100, Brunswick resident.

Um I wanted to just mention that I first met Sandy in 2018.

Um when awkwardly we were opponents for the at-large council seat.

Um the more I got to know Sandy, the more I thought, oh God, she's way more qualified than me for this.

Um what am I doing?

And um we we spent a lot of time together at the same events um uh going to just make sure that the public was kept informed about our work, uh running for council and and just trying to be as helpful as we could.

And we became fast friends.

And um I I remember thinking I I really hope that a council seat will open up really quickly so that Sandy can get on this council as soon as possible.

And sure enough, um that happened.

Um and we got to serve together, and we one of my happiest memories with Sandy is when Sandy Abbey King and I got together for coffee and started to work on the design for the housing committee and proposing what that would look like and and how that would how that would be.

And it worked, like it happened.

And that is because Sandy is such a strong leader who is detail-oriented and who follows through.

And um so glad, Sandy, that you're my friend.

Um, and I I love that I get to be a liaison to you still, um, even now that I'm off the council.

And I just want to say thank you for all your service to both Brunswick and Freeport, and just say how valued you are and how glad I feel to know you.

That's all.

Thank you.

And thank you to all of our legislators.

This was very nice.

Okay, I'm gonna round us out, folks.

Uh I am going to be speaking on behalf of our town of Brunswick to acknowledge our lovely chair up to graph.