AUGUSTA, Maine — Sen. Mark Lawrence, D-Eliot, Sen. Joe Rafferty, D-Kennebunk, and Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel, were sworn into the Maine Senate last week by Gov. Janet Mills.

Lawrence was elected to his fourth consecutive term in the Senate in November, Rafferty to his third and Ingwersen to his second.

“I’m grateful to the residents of southern York County for choosing me to serve as their voice for another term in Augusta,” said Lawrence. “Last session we accomplished a great deal including preserving access to York Hospital, standing up for workers, and codifying fundamental freedoms. I look forward to continuing our work and being an advocate for our region.”

Lawrence represents Senate District 35, which includes Eliot, Kittery, Ogunquit, South Berwick and York.

Lawrence is a practicing attorney from Southern Maine. He was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives during his second year of law school in the late 1980s. He is serving his eighth nonconsecutive term in the Maine Senate. Lawrence served as Senate President from 1998 to 2000 and as York County District Attorney from 2003 to 2010 before opening up a private practice in South Berwick.

He is one of the founding members of the Laudholm Trust in Wells and has worked to secure funding for Land for Maine’s Future.

Rafferty represents Senate District 34, which includes all of Berwick, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, North Berwick and Wells.

“I’m excited to be returning to continue my work in the Senate,” said Rafferty. “I am grateful to the people of York County for entrusting me to be your voice in the State House. I continue to be committed to passing and supporting meaningful legislation that will benefit Mainers and keep our state on the right track.”

Rafferty, better known to his neighbors as Coach Raff, graduated from Springfield College with a degree in physical education, making him the first person in his family to graduate from college. He went on to an extended career in education that continues to this day.

More: What’s the top-selling home in York County so far in 2024?

Throughout his career, Rafferty worked diligently for fellow educators in local and state associations. From 1984 until his retirement in 2018, he was a strong advocate and voice for teachers, serving in various capacities: as president of the teachers’ union, building representative on the Executive Committee, and chief negotiator on the contract negotiation team.

Ingwersen represents Senate District 32, which includes Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis & Lyman.

“I’m so humbled and honored to have been re-elected to serve the people of District 32,” said Ingwersen. “I look forward to continuing my work to address PFAS contamination, support local dairy farmers, tackle Maine’s housing crisis, support our local schools and teachers, and make sure all Mainers have access to affordable, quality health care. We have made great progress, but the work to support the people of York County is ongoing — l intend to hit the ground running in my second term.”

Ingwersen was a public school teacher for more than 25 years before retiring to work on his family farm in Arundel. Ingwersen serves as president of the Arundel Conservation Trust and is a member of the Kennebunk River Remediation Advisory Committee for the town of Arundel. He also serves on the board of Defend Our Health, a group working to ensure all people have access to safe food and drinking water.

Ingwersen and his wife Christine have been married for 47 years and are beekeepers on their farm in Arundel. They have three daughters and ten grandchildren – all of whom live close by. Along with raising bees and selling honey, they also enjoy helping to raise their growing crop of grandkids.

The swearing-in ceremony was held in the Senate Chamber, and was attended by family and friends of the senators, as well as the general public. A live stream of the event was made available to the general public and can be viewed online at http://legislature.maine.gov/senate/.

Of the 35 members of the Maine Senate, there are 20 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Fifteen are women and 20 are men. There are seven new members of the Senate, three of which have recently served in the House of Representatives. Twenty-eight members are incumbents.

More: RSU 21 teachers secure new contract after months of negotiations