BIDDEFORD – U.S. Sen. Angus King, I – Maine, and staff members took to the rad today, kicking off a new outreach effort.

                The senator closed several brick-and-mortar offices around the state on Friday, including one in Biddeford. Instead, his staff is setting up shop in municipal offices and public libraries as part of the senator’s “Your Government, Your Neighborhood” initiative. With his more mobile approach, staff members say they will visit more municipalities each month where they’ll spend a couple hours in a community to listen to constituent concerns.

                “Maine’s congressional delegation has always prided itself on providing the best constituent services,” said King. “My goal is not only to continue that long-standing tradition, but to enhance it by introducing this new concept, which will allow us to be in more communities throughout the state. I’m excited by the great potential this opportunity holds and look forward to continuing to offer exceptional service to more Mainers than ever before.”

                At local offices, “we could go a whole week with no one visiting, said King spokes-woman Crystal Canney, so the senator decided to “bring government to the people.” This initiative will bring the senator’s seven constituent service representatives to many communities that previously had little local access to congressional offices.

                This way of doing business is more in line King’s approach to government, said Canney. In addition, she said, it’s doable because the other members of state’s congressional delegation have an established presence in many communities in Maine. For instance, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, already has an office in Biddeford.

                Through restructuring the community outreach plan, King also closed his Portland office and now has a single office in Scarborough serving both York and Cumberland counties. He has two other offices in Maine, one in Augusta and one in Presque Isle.The initiative caused no staff layoffs and the elimination of some leases “will result in a substantial savings to tax-payers,” according to a statement from King’s staff.

                King’s staff members will hold office hours today at Wells Town Office, 208 Sanford Road, from 10 am to noon; and the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, from 2-4 pm; on June 25 at the McArthur Public Library, 270 Main St., Biddeford, from 10 am to noon; at Saco City Hall, 300 Maine St., from 2-4 pm; and on June 26 at Sanford City Hall, 919 Main St., from 10 am to noon. The constituent service hour schedule, with regular updates is posted on King’s website and king.senate.gov