Dillon Bates

Dillon Bates (born May 15, 1988) is an American politician, coach, and educator who served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 2014 to until his resignation in August 2018.[1]

Dillon Bates
Member of the
Maine House of Representatives
from the 35th district
In office
2014 – August 20, 2018
Preceded byAnn Peoples
Succeeded byAnn Peoples
Personal details
Born (1988-05-15) May 15, 1988
Winterport, Maine, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Maine (BA)

Early life and education

Bates is a native of Winterport, Maine, and attended Hampden Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and theatre from the University of Maine, where he participated in sports.[2]

Career

Bates was a delegate to the 2008 and 2012 Maine Democratic Party Conventions. He interned on Congressman Mike Michaud's 2010 reelection campaign.[3] Bates worked as a drama teacher at The Maine Girls' Academy and track coach at Massabesic High School.[4] In 2012, Bates unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for District 118 in the Maine House of Representatives, which includes the West End neighborhood of Portland, Maine. He was defeated by Matt Moonen. After the election, Bates moved to downtown Westbrook. In 2014, Bates won election to the Maine House of Representatives to succeed Ann Peoples.

Allegations of sexual misconduct

On August 3, 2018, an anonymously-written magazine article alleged that Bates had engaged in three sexual relationships with underage students while working as a teacher and coach. House Speaker Sara Gideon and then-Chair of the Maine Democratic Party, Phil Bartlett, called on Bates to resign. Bates denied all allegations.[5] On August 20, 2018, Bates resigned from his seat in the Maine House of Representatives.[6][7] The following month, the Maine Department of Education denied Bates's request to renew his teaching credential.[8][9] Bates has not been charged with a crime.[10]

References
  1. "Dillon Bates - Football". University of Maine Athletics. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  2. "Dillon Bates". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  3. Andrew Rice (October 30, 2014). "Youth drives races in Westbrook, Gorham". Press Herald. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  4. Rice, rew (October 13, 2016). "House District 35: Democrat Dillon Bates vs. Republican James Bourque". Press Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  5. "Maine lawmaker resigns after magazine's anonymous accusation". AP NEWS. August 20, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. bangordailynews (August 20, 2018). "Democrat accused of sexual misconduct resigns Maine House seat". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  7. Carlsen, Audrey; Salam, Maya; Miller, Claire Cain; Lu, Denise; Ngu, Ash; Patel, Jugal K.; Wichter, Zach (October 23, 2018). "#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men. Nearly Half of Their Replacements Are Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  8. "The Dillon Bates case: here's everything we know". newscentermaine.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  9. "State won't renew education credential for former lawmaker accused of misconduct with students". Bangor Daily News. September 19, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  10. Merrill, Paul (August 4, 2018). "Anonymous accusations prompt House Speaker to call on Democratic lawmaker to resign". WMTW. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
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