Eric Small is not a typical politician. When he decided to run for Congress earlier this week, there was no fanfare or bunting – just a couple mentions in statewide press since Monday. Because his day-job is serving as Sanford’s chief of police, Small has his hands full with more important things than websites or press releases.
“Words may sound good, but its the streets that tell the truth,” Small told The Maine Wire earlier this month, before his foray into politics. “Politicians love phrases like ‘treatment over incarceration’ and ‘harm reduction,’ but slogans aren’t solutions. Slogans don’t pick up the needles. Slogans don’t walk into traffic to revive someone overdosing. Slogans don’t get yelled at by the public when we can’t do a job, we no longer have the legal authority to perform. Slogans don’t answer the calls I take from frustrated citizens.”
“Tired of seeing the same things I see every day. Officers across Maine aren’t tired of hard work. We’re tired of working in circles. We show up, we do the job and the system resets the cycle. People get hurt. Nothing changes,” Small reflected on the frustrations of policing a small Maine city that has more than its share of big city problems.
After penning an op-ed for The Maine Wire in late June, Small started hearing from people throughout southern Maine about how his observations about the challenges of keeping a community safe resonated with them and, he said, was frankly surprised by that. To him, these daily lessons learned were fairly ordinary.
Since then, he decided to run for office – and not just any old office, but for the U.S. House of Representatives for a seat that incumbent Democrat Chellie Pingree has held for nearly two decades.
“I work in that field right now and often feel helpless in those arenas,” Small told Seacoastonline on Monday, in explaining his decision to run for Congress. “There’s not enough help from Augusta, and there’s not enough help, federally, for the states … This is a national epidemic, and I just think that is kind of tearing apart our state right now.”
His timing resonates with some of the news coming out of Washington in recent days. Last week, President Donald Trump announced an executive order aimed at addressing homeless and the often inter-related issue of America’s mental health epidemic.
“President Trump’s recent executive order on homelessness is a strong step in the right direction, if our state leaders have the will to follow it. I don’t believe the liberal left will support it—and as a result, nothing will change, and there will be no accountability,” Small told The Maine Wire about the effort get mentally-ill and substance abuse afflicted persons off the streets and into treatment.
Nearly a quarter century in law enforcement has taught the University of Maine at Farmington graduate some hard truths about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to helping people in need.
“I know this, staying silent isn’t an option. And pretending everything is fine isn’t leadership. If you live in Maine and you’re buying what I am selling, if you’ve seen the change in your community, if you’ve watched someone spiral, if you’ve been a victim of a crime that never should’ve happened, now’s the time to speak up,” Small told The Maine Wire.
“Maybe it’s time for new leadership that doesn’t just wear a ribbon or post a slogan, but actually shows up, listens, and acts. Maybe it’s time for an ideology change. If it means I have to step further into the public arena, so be it. I’m in! I’ve spent my life trying to protect people. I’m not going to stop now,” he added.
Running as a Republican, Small is up against 2024 candidates Ron Russell and Andrew Piantidosi so far for next June’s primary. For now, he’s not worried about official announcements, or endorsements, or checking the right boxes. While a novice to the world of politics, he already knows what it means to protect and to serve.
“My platform will shine a light on the serious issues facing Maine—violent crime, homelessness, substance use disorder, and the mental health crisis. These are issues Rep. Pingree has ignored for far too long,” Small told The Maine Wire on Wednesday, after becoming a candidate.
“All leadership has an expiration date. Chellie Pingree is expired. And what do you do with expired items? You get rid of them,” he said.
