Age (on Election Day): 49
Party affiliation: Republican
Occupation: Pharmacist/consultant
Community organizations:
SWOAM; Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine; Durham GOP Committee; Androscoggin GOP Committee; Durham Rod & Gun Club; National Rifle Association
Hobbies, activities etc.:
Woodworking, hunting, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, running, travel, music, cooking
Family status: Married
Years in Legislature: 2
Clean Election candidate? No
Committee assignments wanted:
Taxation
What is the most pressing problem in your district and what do you plan to do about it?
Property taxes are very high, majority based upon school funding. Towns in the RSU are not at parity with tax expenditures per student and therefore towns like Durham, Pownal and North Yarmouth pay a higher share of student cost at RSU’s.
Gov. Paul LePage wants to eliminate the state income tax. Do you support that? If not, why not?
I support elimination of state income tax. That becomes a raise in pay automatically for companies because more of the salary dollar for employees stays in the employees’ pockets. The balance of income can come from increased business and tourism dollars as it is incrementally introduced.
Are you willing to support raising the fuel tax to fix Maine roads? If not, why not?
I do not. Maine folks work hard and drive far for employment and that is regressive to finding ways to improve their income. Even for commercial vehicles it becomes additionally anti-competitive. We need to fix transportation monies in the state budget — I think critical to Maine’s tourism and businesses.
The relationship between the governor and the Legislature has deteriorated over the past six years. What can the Legislature do to improve that relationship?
Keep working and stop focusing on politics and re-election bids. Bills are meant to be comprehensive and cohesive for the people of Maine, and instead they become battering rams of partisan standoffs. Often removing regulation and bills is more helpful than just finding more rules and regulations to add.
What methods do you support to reduce opiate addiction in Maine?
Focus must be on patient education, provider support and understanding to decrease prescribing, which requires increased focus and back up from law enforcement sources as well. It is the real three-pronged approach that has to be constructed evenly, and no one part can solve the problem alone.
How are you voting on the referendum questions?
Question 1: No
Question 2: No
Question 3: No
Question 4: No
Question 5: No
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