Henry Beck

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 16
Age: 30
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Waterville Senior High School, B.A., Colby College; J.D., Certificate of Graduate Study in Health Policy, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Maine School of Law
Hometown: Waterville

Political experience

Waterville City Council, 2006-2009
State Representative, 2008-present

Why are you running for office?

We need leaders who in Augusta who will solve problems and treat others with respect. That leadership is lacking, that’s why I am running and ask for your vote on November 8th.

100 years ago, my family came to central Maine and started a roofing company that is still open today off College Avenue in Waterville. They worked hard and we need more support for employers and workers. That’s why I wrote several bipartisan laws to help small business. I also voted for cheaper energy options for large employers like Sappi and Huhtamaki, and for growing the clean renewable energy industry.

I will be a more effective State Senator who can tackle complicated issues. I will be an independent thinker who will stand up to my own party when it’s right, just like I did on funding for KVCC or job search requirements in welfare programs.

• 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

    If we cut income taxes, let’s put working people first. Any reduction in the income tax will naturally lead to more pressure on taxes on property taxes, especially for seniors who are retired but wish to stay in their homes. We should not just eliminate income taxes and pretend there will not be program cuts or pressure elsewhere, such as property taxes or taxes on products Maine people buy at the store.

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

    I support the 2nd Amendment and honor Maine’s heritage of responsible gun ownership and hunting. To keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, Maine should require background checks in private gun sales, especially sales made online. People who have been convicted of domestic violence or threaten law enforcement should not be able to use loopholes to get guns. People should know that If Question 3 passes, in the State Senate I will make sure any private sale background check law allows family to family transfers and lending guns for hunting. We need to ensure safety, but we need common sense and respect for Maine traditions. In the Maine House, I voted to keep safe shooting ranges open for local people.

• 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

    Nobody who works full-time should be living in poverty. Right now, about 50,000 kids live in a household with a parent who works minimum wage, and I support a raise. Raising wages is good for our economy overall. When given a raise, working people spend new earnings in their own community. I also respect the concerns of small business owners on this issue and am committed to making the proposed minimum wage law work as time passes from the increase from $7.50/hour to $9.00/hour in 2017.

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

    First and foremost, I support Maine’s medical marijuana law. If the proposed recreational marijuana law passes, marijuana should be regulated and taxed and medical marijuana should be protected. Marijuana is not harmless, but our concern and resources are probably better spent on issues besides small amounts of regulated and taxed marijuana.

• 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?
  • The State Senate is not doing enough to stop our heroin and addiction crisis. We need a balanced approach of enforcement, treatment here in Maine, and prevention education. I voted for emergency funds for new drug agents, but also to accept Federal money being offered to Maine to give coverage for treatment and counseling. Prevention education in our schools is important, but is not enough alone to stop the crisis that is happening right now in our community.

    After hearing from Skip Gates, a longtime teacher at Lawrence High School who lost his son Will to overdose, I authored Maine’s 2015 overdose medication law. I realized that saying we care is not enough, we needed action. Addiction does not discriminate and touches every family.

    I respect Sen. Cyrway but disagree with his votes on this issue. Sen. Cyrway refused to join fellow Republicans in a bipartisan bill to accept Federal funds for health coverage for treatment and counseling. Despite testimony from the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, Senator Cyrway was 1 of just 5 Senators to support the latest LePage veto of a law to expand access to overdose medication for trained law enforcement.

    We need a new approach.