I grew up in New Gloucester, as did both of my parents and two of my grandparents. My father,
Neal Peaco, was active in local government; he served on the select board, the school board,
the board of appeals and as moderator of the town meeting. He was a self-described Goldwater
Republican, which means that he believed in a limited federal government and individual liberty
and responsibility.
I remember debates on the school bus with other kids about the Nixon vs. Kennedy election in
1960. Of course, we merely supported the candidate that our parents supported. I remember
voting for the first time in 1972 in the New Gloucester town hall, after I turned 18. I voted for
Richard Nixon because my father did. I also remember attending town meeting and being so
impressed with this example of local democracy.
For many years, I chose not to register in a party. However, I usually voted for Republicans.
When it came to issues, I always asked myself whether the proposed program was an
appropriate role for government.
Then, my oldest son Matt introduced the family to the political philosophy of Congressman Ron
Paul of Texas. His ideas about limiting the federal government, as originally written in the
Constitution, appealed to me. I also liked his ideas about limiting our involvement in foreign
affairs. It all harkened back to my father’s political ideas.
In 2012, I registered as a Republican for the first time so that I could be a Ron Paul delegate to
the Maine Republican convention. My son Eric was working for Ron Paul’s presidential
campaign in Maine. He even arranged for Ron Paul to appear at the New Gloucester Republican
caucus at the Memorial School. That was quite an event for our little town!
The state convention that year was the first that I had ever attended, and it was wild! The
Romney campaign was trying to control the convention, but the Paul campaign took over and
succeeded in getting his supporters voted into many important party positions. I enjoyed
witnessing the whole process.
Over the last 10 years, I have supported Eric in his campaigns for State Senate, U.S. Senate and
Congress. I have continued to attend state Republican conventions every two years.
The COVID lockdowns have motivated me to get more involved and try to protect our liberties
at the local and state level. I can’t sit idly by and watch our rights disappear. I am following the
examples set by my father and my son. I have become active in the Cumberland County
Republican Committee and the Maine Republican Committee. I realize that we need to be
vigilant about fighting to maintain the liberties that are outlined in our Constitution.
Cindy Brakey
*This is a guest post by Cindy Brakey. The views expressed are those of Cindy Brakey, and not endorsed by the New Gloucester GOP. The New Gloucester GOP supports the right of individuals to submit guest blog posts freely, and without censorship. If you are interested in sharing an article, or post please send all submissions to newgloucestergop@gmail.com
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