Adam M. Pontius

Republican

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 27
Age: 26
Occupation: Political consultant
Education: BA, Political Science
Family: Married
Hometown: Portland

Political experience

I was active in the Elmira College Republicans during college and served two years as Vice-Chair of the group. I have been active in politics since returning to Maine, working on the Eliot Cutler campaign in 2014, and I currently am employed as the Coalition Coordinator for the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting. I am also an active member of the Portland Republican City Committee, Citizens Climate Lobby’s Portland chapter, and the New Leaders Council of Maine. This is my first run for public office.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for office to give Portland voters a real choice in November. Our city is the fastest growing community in Maine, and in order to continue growing, we need a pragmatic approach to the problems facing our state. If elected, I would focus on crafting realistic solutions to the very real problems facing Mainers.

• Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
  • No

    I support the idea of shifting the tax burden from the income tax to sales taxes, but eliminating the income tax goes too far. We ought to pursue a balanced taxation policy that is based on Maine’s needs. We are a state of roughly 1.3 million year round residents but some 33 million tourists also enjoyed a public parks, roads, public transportation and other services in 2015. We should shift some of Maine’s tax burden off of income and property taxpayers by enacting a statewide sales tax.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • Yes

    I support expanding background checks to private sales, but I am uncomfortable with the lack of any clear language on enforcement in the text of question 3 and do not know how I will vote on the measure in November.

• Minimum Wage: In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
  • No

    I do not support question 4. I would have supported an increase in the minimum wage to $10 an hour, but an increase to $12 an hour goes too far too fast and will hurt small businesses. I am especially concerned over the elimination of tipping in favor of a higher base wage from restaurants. Many restaurant owners in Portland already struggle to make ends meet, and this may push some over the edge. It may also end up being an effective pay-cut for waiters and waitresses who make far more than the minimum wage through tips.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • Yes

    I am deeply ambivalent about legalizing marijuana and understand the public health issues that may arise from legalization. That being said recreational marijuana use is becoming more and more of a cultural norm, especially in my generation, and question 1 may be the best approach to legalization. If marijuana is going to be legal, it ought to be regulated and taxed in the same manner as alcohol. Revenue should be directed towards researching and combating youth use of marijua

• Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?

  • Maine is clearly not doing enough in response to the heroin/opiate crisis. I would focus on two areas in particular where we need improvement. Coordinated care is crucial to helping individuals put addiction behind them and rejoin society. Case workers, addiction counselors, caregivers, law enforcement and medical providers need to be on the same page or people will continue to fall through the cracks. This requires increased investment in Assertive Community Treatment teams, and in communication capacity between the relevant actors.

    It is also important to recognize that Maine’s current problem with heroin and other opiate drugs does not exist in a vacuum. Those most vulnerable to being becoming addicted to these substances often have co-occurring mental health issues, such as untreated illnesses or post-traumatic stress disorder from traumatic life experiences, or are vulnerable due to public health problems, like the over-prescription of pain medications. We need to do a better job of measuring public health and mental health outcomes, increase investment where needed, and cut wasteful spending on unnecessary bureaucratic procedures and treatments that are not evidence supported.