Age (on Election Day): 37

Party affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Independent dental hygiene practitioner

Community organizations:

Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic; Project Stretch: Dentistry Reaching Out To Children; East Auburn Baptist Church; New England Disaster Identification Response Team

Hobbies, activities etc.:

I’m a Maine girl! I grew up skiing, sailing, and hiking. I love the outdoors and time with my family. I’m not particularly fast, but I did finish my first marathon and competed in my first Ironman 70.3.

Family status: Single

Years in Legislature: 0

Clean Election candidate? Yes

Committee assignments wanted: Health and Human Services

What is the most pressing problem in your district and what do you plan to do about it?

We need higher paying jobs. While I’m exited about the promise that companies like Grand Rounds are bringing to the area, too many of our citizens are underemployed, unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. To attract jobs here, we need to invest in our infrastructure.

Gov. Paul LePage wants to eliminate the state income tax. Do you support that? If not, why not?

Hard working middle class Mainers have carried the tax burden for too long. I support reducing the income tax. We should make up the revenue difference by increasing our sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of services.

Are you willing to support raising the fuel tax to fix Maine roads? If not, why not?

Raising the tax now may fix an immediate need, but it’s short-sighted because the sources of tax revenue will change as fuel efficient vehicles become the norm. Alternatively, let’s leverage the federal funding opportunities that are available so that we may invest in our infrastructure.

The relationship between the governor and the Legislature has deteriorated over the past six years. What can the Legislature do to improve that relationship?

We need to focus on jobs, infrastructure improvements and tackling our drug crisis. The governor’s behavior has impacted our ability to govern, job creation efforts and our national reputation. I look forward to working with Republicans such as Sen. Roger Katz so that we can move our state forward.

What methods do you support to reduce opiate addiction in Maine?

We can’t arrest our way out of addiction. The under-investment in Heathy ME has thwarted our response to various public health issues, including the drug epidemic. Let’s make sure the Fund For Healthy ME is being used as it was intended and that our mental health system is well supported.

How are you voting on the referendum questions?

Question 1: No
Question 2: Yes
Question 3: Yes
Question 4: Yes
Question 5: Yes

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