Senate District 9
Joe Baldacci

As a practicing lawyer for 33 years and a lifelong resident of Bangor, Joe has represented Maine families and small businesses in his small private practice in downtown Bangor.

Joe served for 12 years on the Bangor City Council — including twice as Mayor and Council Chair — and has promoted several important economic redevelopment projects throughout the city. As councilor, Joe successfully worked to keep the Bangor City Nursing Home open when it was threatened with closure. He helped the Fire Department establish its ambulance and paramedic unit, which now brings in millions in revenue to the city and provides people with life-saving services. In 2004, Joe was appointed by the Bangor City Council to negotiate an agreement with the City of Halifax concerning preclearance rights. The successful agreement Joe helped reach meant that international commuters between Halifax and Bangor could clear customs before boarding their flight, lowering connection times and strengthening travel between the two cities.

Since becoming a State Senator in 2020, Joe has successfully championed legislation on school funding, revenue sharing, health care, employment and economic development to assist the people of Bangor, Hermon and beyond.

Growing up in Bangor, Joe worked alongside his seven brothers and sisters at their family-owned restaurant, Momma Baldacci’s — a local restaurant that became a community gathering place. He graduated with distinction from the University of Maine with a B.A. in Political Science in 1987, and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1991 from the University of Maine School of Law in Portland. During law school, Joe co-founded the Maine Association for Public Interest Law, which still provides scholarships to law students who work in the public interest legal field. After law school, Joe returned to Bangor to start his law practice.