Some Mainers are asking residents to help the head of the Maine CDC, and dedicated Diet Coke drinker, Dr. Nirav Shah win a year's supply of his favorite beverage.

Anyone who's watched Dr. Shah during one of his twice-weekly media briefings has seen him drinking from his signature Diet Coke. He always has one of the silver and red cans nearby, and will sip from it as his 'colleagues in the media' are asking their often-complicated questions. I'm always amazed at how he can listen to some of the lengthy questions, often delivered two at a time, and remember all the facets the reporter is asking him to address. Maybe there's some memory juice in that Diet Coke, that we're not privy to.

Actually, Dr. Shah told the Nite Show's Dan Cashman that Diet Coke is his comfort in times of stress. Everyone needs something, during this pandemic, that helps them relax and deal with the anxiety that we're all experiencing. And no one deserves that more than Dr. Shah, who has to explain the situation on a bi-weekly basis, and answer some pretty tough questions from the area's best reporters. He mixes some humor, and even song lyrics, into the very serious statistics to make us all feel a little better about one of the most challenging situations we've had to handle.

I've already nominated Dr. Shah for the years' supply of Diet Coke, and the mini fridge being given away by Diet Coke, in celebration of National Boss's Day, and I hope you will too. He's definitely deserving of it, being the head of one of the most important agencies in our state right now, and handling it 'like a boss.'

To vote, log onto the nomination page, and then enter his name: Nirav Shah, his email, which is nirav.shah@maine.gov, and then a brief explanation of why you think he deserves to win. You can only nominate him once, so talk to your friends and family and get them to do the same. No one deserves a reward for a job well done more than Dr. Nirav Shah.

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