Sara has been with Maine Street Solutions since 2011 as a government affairs consultant. Previously, Sara spent 11 years working for the Maine Senate Republican Office, including the last year as Chief of Staff. In addition to serving as a trusted political and strategic advisor to Maine leaders, Sara has served as a key aid on numerous public policy issues ranging from health care, to energy and telecommunications, to education, to taxation, to the environment.

11-15 years

Sara has been with Maine Street Solutions since 2011 as a government affairs consultant. Previously, Sara spent 11 years working for the Maine Senate Republican Office, including the last year as Chief of Staff. In addition to serving as a trusted political and strategic advisor to Maine leaders, Sara has served as a key aid on numerous public policy issues ranging from health care, to energy and telecommunications, to education, to taxation, to the environment.

She is a well-known and well-respected part of the team that engineered the 2010 Republican victories in the Maine Legislature, and she uses her experience to guide MSS' lobbying and political efforts at the state and federal level. Sara provides a wide range of legislative and lobby services for businesses, educational institutions, regulated entities, and nonprofit organizations. She also assists clients in community outreach and grassroots/grasstops efforts, and as a member the Maine State Chamber of Commerce's Public Policy Committee on Human Resources, she helps guide the Chamber's position on public policy issues.
Sara is a graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Prior to politics, Sara worked as a substitute teacher, tutor, and cross-country running and track coach at both the middle school and high school level. When she is not working in the legislative or campaign arena, Sara lives in Oxford where she spends much of her time with her husband and teenage son running cross-country, skiing, mountain biking, and racing their sled dogs.

Mike became Managing Principal of Maine Street Solutions and Counsel to Verrill following his service as a member of the Maine House of Representatives (1995-2002) and as Speaker of the Maine House (2000-2002). Mike brings over 30 years of professional public policy experience, through his service an elected official, a campaign operative, state and federal policy staff, and lobbying at all levels of government. Through those experiences, Mike and the Maine Street Solutions team provide a cutting-edge combination of services to clients.

15-20 years

Mike was named 2021, 2020 and 2013 (27th, 26th and 19th editions) "Lawyer of the Year" by his peers (BestLawyers.com), for his work in Government Relations Practice, and has been listed in the same publication every year as a top Maine lawyer.

In 2020, Mike received the Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program's certificate of commendation for completion of over 50 hours of pro bono work.

  • All of us at Vaccinate Your Family owe Mike Saxl and his team a debt of gratitude for the support they offered us in dealing with the Maine Ethics Commission. Had Maine Street Solutions not been by our side, I have no doubt that we would have had a very different outcome. We would recommend Maine Street Solutions to anyone looking for support as they navigate government relations in Maine. - AMY PISANI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VACCINATE YOUR FAMILY
  • When it comes to quietly navigating the waters of State Government and the rule making process nobody beats the team at Maine Street Solutions. Faced with goals we have been working to achieve throughout Maine and the country for a number of years, the team at Maine Street Solutions efficiently and strategically placed our interests in front of key decision makers and delivered a great result. Now we're working with Maine Street Solutions around national strategies involving our products and looking to make our success in Maine the road map for success around the country. - CHUCK RIEGLE, TOMRA NORTHAMERICA
  • When the Maine State Chamber of Commerce decided to take a leadership role in the tax debate we called on Maine Street Solutions. With their help we crafted a multilateral strategy that integrated electoral politics, model public policy and statehouse know-how. In a few short months, we were able to frame the debate and to create a sense of urgency in legislators. During the first thirty days of the legislature the Governor signed the bill that we supported. We couldn't have been successful without the team at Maine Street Solutions. - DANA CONNORS, MAINE STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
  • We have been continually impressed with the Maine Street team. They were unflagging in their efforts to help us secure state funding and we would not have been successful without their support. Sometimes with pro bono arrangements you can feel as if you're being placed on the back burner, but we have never felt that way in our work with Maine Street Solutions. - KRISTEN MIALE, PRESIDENT, GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK???????
  • At Maine Street Solutions, Mike and the team serve everyone from fortune 50 companies to the local statewide food bank. They believe in a multi-lateral strategic approach to problem solving wherein they leave egos aside and focus on achieving positive results for clients. Mike and the team do not believe in silos in government relations. They know that everyone on the team needs to have the right information so they can provide the right message to the right person at the right time. They also know that to broaden the impact of their client's message they need to use all the levers of communication: from direct advocacy to media relations, from grass roots influencing to social media, from legal advocacy to coalition building. Mike and the team know that this integrated, strategic approach brings the best chance of success for clients. AT MSS, Mike and the team are extremely competitive and want their clients to always win.
    Mike and the team frequently work with clients on national strategies using Maine as a test-case to hone messages, tactics, and policy, and then help those clients develop a national strategic approach to implement their strategy. Through that work they have achieved great successes across the country, ranging from expanding access to prescription drugs and healthcare to creating best practices for good government initiatives.
    If an issue touches the public, whether it be government or community relations, crisis communications or procurement, national or local issues, the MSS team has the relationships and skills to advance your interest.
    Mike grew up in Bangor, graduated from Bowdoin College and the University of Maine School of Law, represented the West End of Portland in the Legislature and currently resides in Belgrade with his wife and daughter. When Mike is not on the phone with a client or lawmaker, he can be frequently found walking in the woods near his home with the family dog, Dory.

    Jay has been with Maine Street Solutions since 2001 in his role as a government affairs consultant. Previously, Jay served as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. for then-Congressman John Baldacci where he focused on agricultural, environmental, and taxation issues. Jay provides direct advocacy services on behalf of clients in a wide array issues, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, public safety, natural resource utilization, taxation, and professional regulation and licensure.

    20+ years

    Jay has been with Maine Street Solutions since 2001 in his role as a government affairs consultant. Previously, Jay served as a legislative assistant in Washington for then-Congressman John Baldacci where he focused on agricultural, environmental, and taxation issues. Jay provides direct advocacy services on behalf of clients in a wide array issues, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, public safety, natural resource utilization, taxation, and professional regulation and licensure.

    In 2007, he spearheaded the effort to pass legislation to increase safety on Maine's roads, receiving the AAA Traffic Safety Excellence Award in recognition for his efforts. Jay provides campaign finance and strategic advice to numerous political action committees, including with respect to ballot initiatives and the campaign activities of legislative leadership.

    Jay was awarded the 2009 Eisenhower Fellowship for Agriculture, which allowed him to travel to the European Union and India to study agricultural and energy related issues. Jay grew up on a dairy farm in Leeds, Maine, and he attended Virginia Tech where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics.