Christopher Babbidge

Democrat

Office Sought: Representative – District 8
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired teacher, legislator, trolley driver/tour guide
Education: B.A. University of Maine, Portland-Gorham
Family: Wife, 3 daughters, 6 grandchildren
Hometown: Kennebunk

Political experience

Three-time Maine state representative, elected in 2004, 2006, and 2014
Was the first Democrat elected from Kennebunk to the State Legislature in 94 years
Served on the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee (current)
Served on the State and Local Government Committee (current)
Served on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, 2007-08
Served on the Utilities and Energy Commmittee, 2005-06
Elected to the Kennebunk Charter Commission
Served on Kennebunk Comprehensive Plan Committee
Elected to the 2000 Electoral College (Maine President)
Former State Chair of the Committee on Rules of the Maine Democratic Party
Elected to represent and vote for Maine at four national political conventions
Advisory Council, YMCA Youth in Government Model Legislature since 1982

Why are you running for office?

I am running to give Kennebunk effective representation, to use what skills and knowledge I have to make Maine a better state, and to defend civil discourse so that our government works together, gives us pride, and incentivizes people, especially young people, to look beyond themselves and want to serve in order to do public good. The people of our large state have many challenges and needs, and government is the instrument that we have to do together what we cannot achieve individually, and that is to help where we can, where we should, within our means.
I am a native Mainer, and both my wife and I have had the good fortune to live and work in Kennebunk for thirty-five years. When I taught citizenship, I included the responsibility to stand and have courage when necessary. As we recited the pledge and that American goal of “liberty and justice for all,” students saw a sign next to the flag with the phrase, “It’s Up to Us!” Now I am retired from the classroom, and I must walk the walk.
My priorities in Augusta are 1) to promote a strong and vibrant economy by investing in people, innovation, small businesses, and good-paying jobs to keep young talent in Maine, 2) support our seniors by fighting costs, planning for housing and transportation needs, and helping them maintain independence and contribute to the community, 3) reduce energy costs and promote conservation and a clean energy future, including promotion of individual, commercial, and community solar power, and 4) preserve the quality of life that we value that is special to Maine. My entire adult life has been dedicated to providing quality education for the brightest futures for our children, protecting our clean environment, our priceless asset and biggest attraction, and upholding civil rights for all Maine citizens. I’ve successfully stood up for our community before, I’m proud of my record of advocacy and accomplishment, and I would be honored to represent Kennebunk in the 128th legislature.

• 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

    The graduated income tax, in which every taxpayer is assessed the same tax on the same income, where rates get progressively higher for only that wealth above the previous bracket, is the fairest tax, with more being contributed to society by those who benefit most competing in society. We must pay taxes to cover necessary safety, education, and care of the needy and elderly, with as low a tax burden as is responsibly possible. This session the legislature further helped concerned taxpayers by enhancing the child-care tax credit, increasing deductions for higher education, and permitting mortgage-insurance costs to be added to mortgage interest deductions. But eliminating income taxes in favor of consumption taxes alone would put greater burden on hardworking lower and middle income people already struggling to get ahead, and would provide a windfall to those most able to pay. Struggling Mainers of middle or modest income shouldn’t be burdened with a more regressive tax structure.

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

    About 12,000 Americans are killed by other Americans by gunfire each year, and most reasonable people believe guns belong only in responsible hands. When we allow current laws to leave 40% of gun transactions unfiltered by background checks, then we become participants in enabling guns to easily get into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. Most responsible gun owners, including me, and most law enforcement officers, support background checks. The 2nd amendment is not in jeopardy, but the lives of many unfortunate men, women, and children are. If we can reduce this carnage, then we should be responsible and do so. This inconvenience is small compared to the dividend.

• 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?
  
  • Yes

    I will be voting for the minimum wage question because it will raise the state’s minimum from $7.50 to $9.00 an hour in January, 2017. It’s long overdue. I spoke on the floor of the House to support passage of the last minimum wage increase in 2006, when it was $6.50. It passed by a single vote. We increased it 25 cents per year until it reached $7.50. But attempts to raise the minimum have been squashed by powerful forces for seven straight years, refusing even more modest increases. If this measure gets an overdue increase into law, I believe that’s good for Maine people, both for workers and those who benefit from consumer purchases. If the Maine economy falters, and the built-in escalation to 2020 is not a wise course of action, particularly for small businesses, then the legislature, or the people, can make an adjustment.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No

    Very simply, for me health and safety trump recreational enjoyment. I understand the libertarian argument, and I understand that marijuana use is fairly common. As a 39-year schoolteacher, I never saw marijuana be a positive influence for students, but I saw detriment. The inhalation of a combustable has health ramifications, and the judgment of impaired drivers raises safety concerns. I believe drug enforcement has become a great burden, oversized expense, and a too-large use of resources, and that should be addressed, but I’m not convinced that legalization would be a responsible action in the best interest of our communities.

• 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?
  • In a difficult session, the legislature came together to confront the deadly opioid epidemic by passing funding for law enforcement, treatment, and recovery, including peer recovery programs in underserved areas. Opioid painkillers, such as oxycodone, accounted for 2 out of 5 overdose deaths last year; we passed legislation to prevent their overprescription and abuse. We also passed legislation to facilitate local LEAD programs, in which law enforcement may divert alleged low-level offenders into community-based treatment programs rather than the court system, reducing both recidivism and pre-trial costs to jails. Law enforcement is imperative to fight trafficking, but police, too, realize that to effectively confront this crisis, education and the proper treatment are the keys to a better future. State money must be joined by federal dollars so that medically-proven vivitrol, methadone, and buprenorphine can be used as tools against addiction. Emergency treatment should include overdose-reversing Naloxone, saving lives, and that’s why both D’s and R’s overrode the Governor’s veto. We must continue to work on a comprehensive strategy to maximize success.