Justin Chenette

Justin Chenette is a trailblazing public servant currently serving as a York County Commissioner in Maine. His career is defined by a series of historic firsts: at age 21, he became the youngest openly gay lawmaker in the country upon his election to the Maine House of Representatives. He later became Maine’s youngest and only openly gay State Senator at 25 and, in 2022, made history again as the first Millennial and only openly LGBTQ+ individual ever elected to the York County Commission. As Commissioner, Justin led the historic effort to pass York County’s first-ever Pride Proclamation. He played a pivotal role in saving the York County Food Pantry from closing, and he voted to make historic investments in substance use recovery, first responder training, and coastal protection efforts. After receiving the David Bohnett Leaders Fellowship, Justin earned an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Justin has been recognized on 40 Under 40 lists by The Advocate magazine and Mainebiz. In 2025, he was named Maine County Commissioner of the Month by the Spirit of America Foundation. He lives in Saco with his husband, Eduard, and their two cats.