Frances Mills Head

Republican

Office Sought: Representative – District 117
Age: 69
Occupation: Realtor
Education: Realty training
Family: Married w/ adult Children
Hometown: Bethel

Political experience

State Representative, 127th Maine Legislature
Member, Bethel Town Budget Committee
Director, Oxford County Soil and Water District
President, Bethel Seniors Group
Founder, Crescent Park Reading Program
Former Bethel Comprehensive Planning Committee
Seniors Plus Advisory Board
Additional Experience:
School Board
Gilead Selectboard
Project Graduation
Oxford County Budget Committee

Why are you running for office?

I’m running to continue my efforts on behalf of my constituents in western Maine to reform welfare, grow jobs, cut the income tax for all Maine people, control state spending, and to protect services for senior citizens.

• 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?
  • Yes

    I strongly support reducing the income tax, because the more take-home pay Mainers have, the better. I trust people to make better decisions with their hard-earned money than government will, and we need to work together to reduce the income tax in a way that is fair.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • No

    Question three does nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms. If passed, this measure would criminalize lawful transfers unless both people go to a gun dealer to have a background check and pay a fee. In my view, and the view of many of my constituents, these types of checks are not universal because criminals will never comply with these requirements— its just that simple.

• 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

    Absolutely not. The fastest way to see small shops and stores go out of business in rural Maine is to mandate wages. This would be disastrous for our regional economy, and especially devastating to the tourism industry. I’ll be voting no for the wage mandates, because too many business owners have voiced their concerns about just how difficult it would make it to stay open.

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

    I’ll be opposing this measure because the access to marijuana is far to
    great as it is, and I’m afraid that there is a big problem with children ingesting
    edibles, because they can’t tell the difference. These types of concerns
    have solidified my position against question 1.

• 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?
  • I was proud to support LD 1537, which funded 10 new investigators in the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, which I believe was a positive step in the direction of increasing enforcement. As a member of the Health and Human Services Committee, I have learned a lot about the importance of prevention and treatment as well. The drug crisis affects each and every community in Maine, and there are families counting on us, right now, to do the right thing and provide additional support, programs and coordination among agencies to address the drug crisis.