Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) policy director Gabi Berube Pierce is running for a seat on the Augusta School Board against controversial activist Nicholas Blanchard, who goes by “Corn Pop” online.
[RELATED: Federal Judge Smacks Down Augusta School Board in Free Speech Fight With “Cornpop” Blanchard…]
In her professional capacity as a lawyer and state employee, Pierce testified on multiple bills related to cannabis policy, while in her private life, she is a radical leftist.
In an old Facebook post from 2019, Pierce tried to fundraise for the Mable Wadsworth Center in Bangor, a “feminist health center” that provides abortions as well as gender transition treatments.
The organization boasts prominently on their website that they provide “gender-affirming care for both minors and adults” and that “our clients range in age from people in their early teens to people in their 90s.”
“Happy Pride Month! It’s also my birthday month! In honor of the honesty and courage displayed by the many queer and feminist leaders on whose shoulders I stand, I am asking people to contribute what they can to support the work of Mabel’s! Your dollars go to provide gender responsive, identity affirming healthcare and abortion access to folks in my community,” said Pierce on Facebook.
She succeeded in raising $426 from 16 donors.
Pierce now wants a seat on the board deciding how Augusta’s children are educated.
In a recent April 30 post on her “Gabi for Augusta Schools” Facebook group, she celebrated a student walkout in which students left Cony High School carrying signs protesting proposed cuts to the school district’s budget.
She has staunchly opposed budget cuts while downplaying the impact of tax increases on Augusta families.
“For my family, a 10% tax increase looks like $27/month. I expect my taxes to go up when the city finally completes its overdue revaluation, because the reality is that everything costs more in 2026 than it did in 2006– everything costs more than it did last year,” said Pierce
“The school board has made incredibly difficult decisions that will harm our students for years to come. They should have never been asked to make those cuts,” she added.
On June 9, Augusta voters will choose between Pierce and Blanchard for an at-large board member seat.
Blanchard’s confrontational style has drawn headlines and put him at odds with many on the current school board, including Chair Martha Witham.
In response to repeated attempts from the board to silence Blanchard during meetings, the candidate filed a lawsuit alleging free speech violations.
The board has attempted to use policies against things like vulgar language or gossip to prevent Blanchard’s testimony, which was highly critical of their left-wing policies on controversial issues such as trans-identifying students in sports.
Following the lawsuit, a federal judge ruled in Blanchard’s favor, determining that the school board had engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination while silencing Blanchard.
