Mike Heath, the longtime leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine, announced today that he is moving on.  Expressing appreciation for the League, Heath said that it has been a great honor to serve.
 
The Christian Civic League of Maine was formed in 1897.
 
Heath came to the League in 1989 on October 16th as the Administrative Assistant.  On January 1, 1994 he was appointed Executive Director.
 
His first test came on the issue of casino gambling.  When the dust settled he was credited by his adversaries with having stopped a casino from being built in Calais.  Heath went on from there to tackle the most difficult and contentious social issue of our time, gay rights.  In 1998 he was on the leadership team of the first successful People's Veto of gay rights.  In 2001 he joined once again with Paul Madore and Paul Volle to lead a successful statewide campaign against homosexuality.  Since the early 1990s Heath and the League have expressed serious concerns with the prospect of so-called same sex marriage.  Everyone laughed back then.  Maine will vote on the issue this November.
 
No stranger to controversy, Heath is often described as a "lightning rod."

The board accepted Heath's resignation yesterday during a meeting at the League headquarters building in Augusta.  They expressed unanimous and strong support for the forty-eight year old leader.  Heath pledged his full support to the League.
 
He told them he would be actively encouraging all the League's donors to continue their generous support of the ministry.
 
While the League's board has not selected a replacement, they are hard at work starting the search process.

Heath is now working as a private consultant.  He can be reached at 207-956-0819.