Seeks Re-election Lone Greek American in United State Senate
The Greek American Community is coming together to support Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine on April 29, 2011 at the home of John and Margo Catsimatidis in New York City.
Mr. Catsimatidis said, “Olympia is the only Senator the Greek Community has, and it is so important for us ensure she stays there.
I also think Olympia is often the only voice of reason in the Senate and I think this is so important for the Country. I hope everyone in New York will come by to say hello and if they cannot make, send a contribution.
” Olympia Snowe’s career is characterized by a number of firsts. Most notably, when she was elected to Congress from the Maine second congressional district in 1978 at the age of 31, she was the youngest Republican and the first Greek American woman to serve in Congress.
Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles in 1947 in Augusta, Maine. Her father, George, emigrated to the United States from Mytilene, Greece, and her mother, Georgia Goranites Bouchles, was a second-generation Greek whose parents had come to America from Sparta. Following her mother’s death, Snowe was sent to St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, New York, where she remained from the third grade to the ninth, and she was taught by Athena Hatziemmanuel.
Senator Snowe is married to former Maine governor John R. McKernan, Jr. and lives Senator Snowe is married to former Maine governor John R. McKernan, Jr. and lives in Auburn, Maine, where she is a member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Lewiston-Auburn. She is an active member of many civic and community groups.
As a U.S. Senator representing the state of Maine, Snowe is well-known for her work on budget-deficit reduction, fiscal issues, health care, women’s issues, and foreign affairs.
Snowe was selected by Time as one of “America’s 10 Best Senators.
” She was the only woman so recognized. Time praised Snowe for her sensitivity to her constituents, also noting that: “Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in Washington.”
Snowe is the fourth woman to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the first to chair its seapower subcommittee, which oversees the Navy and Marine Corps. In 2001, Snowe became the first Republican woman to secure a full-term seat on the Senate Finance Committee.
Catsimatidis concluded with, “Olympia is a great lady and a treasure of the Greek American Community.”
