There’s an old saying that “to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die” and for Windham’s beloved state legislator, educator and businessman Bill Diamond, that expression rings true.
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| Bill Diamond of Windham, a longtime legislator, educator, business owner and child welfare advocate, has died at the age of 80. He co-founded Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors to provide heat assistance to those in need and the Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Foundation to end child homicide in Maine. FILE PHOTO |
A lifelong Democrat, Diamond first ran for the Maine House of Representatives in 1976 as a write-in candidate and defeated Republican Barbara Strong. He won re-election for the seat in 1978 by defeating Republican Carole Bean. He won a third term in the Maine House in 1980 while running unopposed. In 1982, he beat Republican David Huber to win a Maine State Senate seat representing Windham, and he then defeated Republican Ken Cole in 1984 to win re-election before stepping down from the legislature at that time.
He grew up on his grandfather’s farm in West Gardiner and came to Southern Maine to study to become a teacher at Gorham State Teacher’s College, earning a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education. He married his wife Jane in 1968, and the couple raised two daughters, Kristin and Karyn, in Windham and now have eight grandchildren. His actual first name was George but preferred to be known by his middle name, William.
Many students in Windham and Raymond will recall Diamond as their school principal or teacher. He taught from 1968 to 1986 in Windham schools and was the first principal of Windham’s Manchester School. He went on to lead Field-Allen Junior High School and Windham Middle School as principal and was Superintendent of Schools for Raymond. Diamond also served as superintendent and director of governmental relations for the controversial Elan School in Poland.
His interests varied outside of politics and education. He earned a brown belt in karate and was the owner of the now-closed Windham Independent newspaper. He was also a long-time co-owner of All-Med Medical Staffing in Windham and owned a security business for many years in town.
Before becoming Maine’s 45th Secretary of State in 1989, Diamond threw his hat into the ring in a bid to become governor in 1986 and then campaigned for the 1st Congressional District position in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, losing in the Democratic Primary.
In 2004, Diamond defeated Republican Joe Bruno of Raymond to win the Maine Senate District 12 seat and won re-election in 2006, 2008 and 2010 before being term limited. Four years later in 2014, Diamond defeated Republican Kaile Warren to win the Maine Senate District 26 seat and subsequently won re-election to that position in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
As the cost of heating homes rose in the early 2000s, Diamond co-founded and served as president of Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors in 2007, an all-volunteer effort which raised money to provide emergency heating oil to community residents in need. He also served as a board member for the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham and Hospice of Southern Maine.
Before leaving political office in 2022, Diamond was known statewide as a staunch advocate for children and led Maine Senate investigations into prominent deaths of abused children whose families were relegated to the state’s child welfare system. In 2014, Diamond wrote a book about the subject called “The Evil and the Innocent.”
In 2023, Diamond launched the “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Foundation,” a non-profit dedicated to preventing child homicides and the abuse of children who are under the supervision or direct care of the State of Maine or who are or have been associated with the state’s Child Protective System.
“Children associated with state care have been dying at record levels, in fact, as recently as 2021 a record number of children died, many were victims of child homicides,” Diamond said at the time. “The chilling question is: How many more children must die before we make meaningful changes?”
He said he was first made aware of the issues affecting child homicide in Maine and the state’s child protection system in 2001.
“The problem has continued to persist over the past 22 years under four different gubernatorial administrations, Independent, Republican, and Democrat,” he said in launching the foundation. “The problems are not partisan based. They are the concern of all of us. This is the most important thing I’ve ever been able to do, nothing comes close.”
One of the purposes of the foundation is to bring people from a variety of interests and backgrounds together to develop meaningful strategies for positive changes to protect children who are the innocent victims of a broken system and to work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Child and Family Services in a joint effort to improve the state’s child safety policies and practices and truly make a difference.
“We really don’t want to think about these children because it cuts deeply into our souls,” Diamond said earlier this year. “But we must if we want to help.”
In June, Diamond made his final public appearance at the 2025 Windham Summerfest Parade as he was honored as the Modern Woodmen of America’s Hometown Hero for 2025.
Funeral arrangements are pending. <
