A trans-identifying female city councilor in Waterville, Maine, abruptly resigned Monday, citing both physical and mental health issues that worsened following Donald Trump’s election. Former Councilor Julian Finch stated that the stress of the political climate contributed to a severe illness requiring hospitalization.
In an email obtained by the Morning Sentinel, Finch revealed that recovery from a “deathly illness” was ongoing but incomplete. Finch wrote, “Mentally, I’ve taken a beating. I had taken a beating before getting sick, and I’m absolutely certain it contributed to how physically ill I was. It didn’t start with the election, though that heavily contributed.”
Finch had missed multiple city council meetings over the summer due to an extended stay in Wisconsin assisting family, exhausting all vacation, sick, and unpaid leave. Finch stated, “Then the election happened, and I again couldn’t catch my breath. Then the very first act that the new leader of the free world did was to tell me I didn’t exist. There has been zero time to catch my breath. It wasn’t until I actually literally couldn’t breathe that I had the opportunity to take a breath, and that was only when I was in the ER, getting oxygen after my pulse ox dropped.”
In the resignation letter, Finch emphasized the toll of public service on personal well-being. “No matter what pressures they are facing—from personal mental health, from their job, from their family, from their colleagues—we tell people to keep going and that it’s worth it. But when you put yourself last against others, is it worth it? Not making space for yourself when you need it is only telling yourself that you aren’t valuable unless it’s in the context of others, no matter how negative the experience—no matter how much you can’t breathe.”
Finch concluded by stating, “I do not owe anyone my peace, my joy, my time, my explanations. No one is a failure for realizing that something isn’t working for them. This isn’t working for me; effective immediately, I resign from the Waterville City Council.”
Elected in 2023, Finch’s term was set to expire in 2026. Waterville City Clerk Patti Dubois announced that a special election will be held in May or June to fill the vacant seat.
