Maine lawmaker who flouted pandemic rules resigns after wife's COVID-19 death [View all]
An Aroostook County lawmaker and anti-masking advocate who was stricken with COVID-19 this summer and whose wife died after contracting the virus has resigned from the Maine Legislature.
State Rep. Chris Johansen, R-Monticello, a staunch opponent of pandemic-related restrictions, told House Speaker Ryan Fecteau in a letter dated Nov. 19 that he needed to tend to his farm. He said his wife, Cindy, had taken care of the farm, allowing him to serve in the Maine House.
“Her dedication to the farm allowed me to dedicate the time I needed to the people of Aroostook County,” Johansen wrote. “With her passing I am no longer afforded that time.”
Johansen had challenged a legislative rule requiring that masks be worn inside the State House to control the spread of COVID-19. He appeared maskless in a video taken inside a State House office in January and was one of seven lawmakers who had a confrontation with Capitol Police in May when the lawmakers entered the State House without masks.
Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/11/29/maine-lawmaker-who-flouted-pandemic-rules-resigns-after-wifes-covid-19-death/
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