Eliza Townsend (politician)

{{Short description|American politician}}

Elizabeth 'Eliza' Townsend is an American politician from Maine. A Democrat from Portland, Townsend was elected to the Maine House of Representatives for four consecutive terms between 1992 and 2000. After leaving office, she became the executive director of the Maine League for Conservation Voters. During the governorship of fellow Democrat John Baldacci, Townsend served as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation.{{cite news |title=Eliza Townsend |url=https://www.cmu.edu/homepage/environment/2010/summer/eliza-townsend.shtml |work=www.cmu.edu}} Since 2011, Townsend has served as Executive Director of the Maine Women's Lobby.{{cite news |title=Eliza Townsend |url=https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/eliza-townsend-2/ |work=Dr. Lisa Belisle}}

In 2019, Townsend endorsed incumbent Portland mayor Ethan Strimling for re-election but Strimling finished in third place.{{cite news |last1=Billings |first1=Randy |title=Supporters of Strimling's re-election announce endorsements, take shots at challenger |url=https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/09/12/strimling-announces-endorsements-from-slate-of-former-current-officials/ |work=Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel |date=12 September 2019}}