Age (on Election Day): 61
Party affiliation: Republican
Occupation: Retired
Community organizations:
Founding member Small Property Owners of Auburn
Hobbies, activities etc.:
Fishing, golf, hunting, spending time with my wife, 4 adult children, and 2 grandchildren
Family status: Married
Years in Legislature: 6
Clean Election candidate? Yes
Committee assignments wanted:
Taxation; Government Oversight
What is the most pressing problem in your district and what do you plan to do about it?
I have always supported the idea of a new high school. It appears that the project will finally receive funding from the state. The other pressing issue is the local property tax burden. I successfully fought to keep revenue sharing in the budget to lessen the local burden.
Gov. Paul LePage wants to eliminate the state income tax. Do you support that? If not, why not?
I do. As a member of Taxation I worked diligently across the aisle to ensure income tax relief to all Maine people. Because of that effort a married couple does not pay one cent of state income tax until they earn at least $31,300.
Are you willing to support raising the fuel tax to fix Maine roads? If not, why not?
Before supporting any increase in the fuel tax I would really need to understand the need. The cost of fuel has decreased dramatically and so too has the cost of road material. I don’t believe cost is currently the issue based on the price of oil.
The relationship between the governor and the Legislature has deteriorated over the past six years. What can the Legislature do to improve that relationship?
This is an issue that the governor must resolve with those negatively affected by his comments. It is not the role of the Legislature to oversee the governor’s office. It is not the governor’s role to oversee the Legislature. They are totally separate and equal branches of government.
What methods do you support to reduce opiate addiction in Maine?
First we must give law enforcement all tools necessary to stop drugs from entering Maine. Second, we need to manage the addiction by focusing on addiction prevention. We can’t have a knee jerk reaction as some want by just throwing money at it.
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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