From 1991 to 2004, Hayes served on the MSAD 39 (Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner) School Board, including a stint as chair.
[6] Hayes has said one of her goals as treasurer is to create an online tool to allow the public to view and track how state bond money is spent, for greater transparency.
[7] Hayes announced on April 14, 2017, that she has filed to run for Governor of Maine in 2018, stating she would seek to create a "collaborative" policy arena as opposed to what she sees as the current "conflict-centered" one.
[8] Hayes finished third in the gubernatorial race, behind Democrat Janet Mills and Republican Shawn Moody.
She received 37,268 votes, or 5.9%, in what was the worst showing for a major independent Maine gubernatorial candidate since John Michael's 2.1% in 2002.