By Carol McCracken
‘Twas the day after Labor Day and MHN was sipping coffee and scanning the house copy of the local newspaper looking for news about the Hill to be pursued for its blog. There was nothing. Never mind. Not to despair. There was a curiousity amidst the mid-morning coffee sippers at the Hilltop Coffee Shop counter, however.
Phil Saucier was sitting to my right at the counter and so I turned to him. He was wearing a blue pin striped shirt, absent the obligatory tie and suit jacket. He was ‘clean-cut; in other words, no facial hair and not one long hair on his head. Phil was a curiousity all right. He was the only week-day customer with such a conservative look. Definitely worth checking out – “What is your story?” I asked him, point blank.
Phil grew up in Presque Isle – up in Aroostook County. He attended Vassar College in upstate New York where he majored in political science and urban studies. He topped off his education with a law degree from the University of Southern Maine here in Portland. Phil currently lives on the Hill.
Phil currently works for the Governor in Augusta where he advises him on health care matters. He also serves on the city’s zoning board which gives him an opportunity to stay current on what is going on in the city. Formerly an attorney with Verrill & Dana, Phil might well return to the same firm after gaining some outside experience which would further his legal career at V&D or elsewhere.
The fact that Phil, 32, and MHN, 66, just happened to be sitting elbow to elbow at the Hilltop Coffee Shop sipping coffee was a stroke of good luck. Phil was focused on his laptop preparing for a meeting in Portland at 11:30 a.m. before heading back up to Augusta. And well, MHN had had its meeting for the day with – Phil Saucier.
He left for his meeting just moments before the MHN meeting was completed. And just moments, MHN wished, before Phil might divulge some political scandal that would rock the state of Maine and propel this blog to state-wide prominence. Dream on – no big scoops – it was just a congenial breath of fresh air that morning at the Hilltop Coffee Shop.