Age (on Election Day): 46
Party affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: Assistant director, University College Rumford/Mexico
Community organizations:
Mechanic Falls Democratic Town Committee
Hobbies, activities etc.
Family status: Single
Years in Legislature: 0
Clean Election candidate? No
Committee assignments wanted:
Education; Labor
What is the most pressing problem in your district and what do you plan to do about it?
Property taxes continue to hit families in my district particularly hard. We need to look at our current tax policy and find ways to make public education funding at the state level a higher priority so that taxpayers don’t continue to foot a disproportionate share of the bill.
Gov. Paul LePage wants to eliminate the state income tax. Do you support that? If not, why not?
No. Eliminating income tax in favor of sales tax will hit the lowest income families the hardest. Tax reform is needed so that everyone pays their fair share.
Are you willing to support raising the fuel tax to fix Maine roads? If not, why not?
I am open to it, but would want to review how current fuel tax revenues are spent to find the most efficient ways to use the money that the state gets from taxpayers.
The relationship between the governor and the Legislature has deteriorated over the past six years. What can the Legislature do to improve that relationship?
It’s hard for the Legislature to do much to improve it when the governor has made it clear that he isn’t interested in working with them. I would encourage the Legislature to find ways to be more bi-partisan and simply ignore the governor.
What methods do you support to reduce opiate addiction in Maine?
This is a complicated issue and I would rely on health care professionals for their advice and guidance. This is a health care crisis that should be treated that way.
How are you voting on the referendum questions?
Question 1: Yes
Question 2: Yes
Question 3: Yes
Question 4: Yes
Question 5: No
Send questions/comments to the editors.
