Though she has never served at the state level before, Scarborough Town Councilor Sylvia Most said she is ready to make the move.

Most, 40, a Republican, is running against Democrat and former state senator Peggy Pendleton and Maine Green Party member Leo Knighton Tallarico for the District 128 seat in the Maine House of Representatives.

Most, who is married and has two stepsons attending Scarborough High School, moved to Scarborough in 1998 and was elected to the town council in 2001.

At one point in her career, Most, who now owns SJ Most Consulting, worked as an operations manager, overseeing about 40 employees. Professional management experiences and her time on the council, said Most, will help her adapt to serving in the House.

“I recognize that I’ll be a rookie legislator, but I’ve had a career that’s taken me in many directions – especially as an operations manager, you’ve got to hit the ground running. That’s skill I’ve honed,” said Most.

“I think I’ll approach my first few months in the Legislature they way I did the council. Dig in and get involved,” she said.

“I’ve always defined economics and taxation issues as my core values,” said Most, who, though she always considered herself a Republican, said she does not agree with the party’s view on many social issues. She said that she is pro-choice, for example.

“I think that’s an important distinction to make,” said Most. “But I’m not any less Republican. Whether you agree 100 percent with a party’s platform, the Republican Party in Maine is focused on economic development and the business climate.”

Most cited economic development as a key problem in Maine. A poor tax structure and high insurance rates make it hard for businesses to come to Maine, said Most. To truly create a better economy, she said, new businesses need to come from outside the state.

“We’re in a broken system,” said Most of health-care costs. “Our rates are double what the state next door pays. That’s not right, something is out of whack. That’s a key issue with business. It’s too expensive to operate here.”

Bringing in more insurance companies, said Most, would be one way to increase competition and reduce health-care costs as a result.

“When you have a situation with no competition, you have what you have today,” she said.

Another way to make Maine appear more business friendly, said Most, is to reassess the entire tax structure.

“There isn’t any major corporation in the state that isn’t getting some sort of tax incentive,” said Most. “That’s one way we’ve tried to get around a poor tax structure.”

Most is a supporter of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and if elected hopes to serve on the taxation committee, she said. Maine is a changing from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, she added. Changing the tax structure to reflect that is a way to move the state forward.

Scarborough Town Councilor Sylvia Most is running for the Maine House of Representatives against Democrat and former state legislator and senator Peggy Pendleton and Green Independent Leo Tallarico.