Michael H. Lemelin is an American politician who is currently serving as a member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

for the 88th district. He assumed office on December 2, 2020.

Early life and education

Lemelin was born in

Biddeford, Maine Biddeford ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddef ...

, and graduated from Brunswick High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

Career

From 1989 to 1996, Lemelin worked as a commercial and private pilot. He later worked in the restaurant industry, operating several Subway and

Red Robin Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised R ...

franchises around

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Maine. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Maine, 12th-most populous city in Maine, and third ...

. Lemelin also owned as gym called Curves in Gardiner and manages his wife's chiropractic practice. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Maine House of Representatives in 2018. He was elected to the House in 2020. In April 2024, Lemelin attracted controversy for his claim that the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine was an act of

divine intervention Divine intervention is an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or gods) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. In contrast to other kinds of divine action, the expression "divine ''intervention''" implies that ...

resulting from Maine’s recent expansion of abortion rights, stating “God heard you, and the horrible events on Oct. 25 happened”. He was

censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a sp ...

d by the House as a result.

References

Living people Politicians from Biddeford, Maine Brunswick High School (Maine) alumni Boston University College of Engineering alumni Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Year of birth missing (living people) Censure in the United States 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature {{Maine-MERepresentative-stub