Betsy Fitzgerald returned to
Washington County after a teaching career in central Maine. As
Machias Town Manager, she worked to increase awareness of the
historical importance of the Machias area and bring economic
development to the downtown.
Since 2010, Washington County has
increased its economic development efforts through its support
of tidal energy research; the County combined with the City of
Eastport - applied for and was awarded an EDA grant for $1.4
million. The use of TIF funds for economic development in the
Unorganized Territories has spurred a number of new enterprises
ranging from guiding services to the creation of seafood pies.
The establishment of the Washington County Historical and
Genealogical Society will provide an entity to care for the
extensive newspaper collection and genealogical materials needed
by the ever-expanding searches for ancestors.
Fitzgerald
attended Washington Academy and the University of Maine,
Machias. She holds a MA in Comprehensive Planning from the
Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Policy at USM. She serves on
the UMM Board of Visitors and the WHCA Board of Directors.
Fitzgerald was awarded the Sunrise County Economic Council’s
“Partner of the Year” award for her efforts to bring new
economic development to Washington County in 2010 and the “Ethel
S. Schawalbe Award” from WHCA.
