Martha MacAuslan

Unenrolled

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 29
Age: 57
Occupation: Consultant
Education: BA Mount Holyoke College, MA Andover Newton
Family: Married
Hometown: Cape Elizabeth

Political experience

Cape Elizabeth Town Council 2013-2016.
Cape Elizabeth Town Council Chair, 2016

Why are you running for office?

I’m tired of partisan politics! I think we can do better, and I think we deserve better. We have real problems—we all worry about budgets and taxes of course, but these are the numbers that affect real live people…our kids and schools, our seniors, families trying to make ends meet, small business people looking to make payroll. I’m interested in problem solving, and I’ve made a 30-year career of it. I like to work across aisles, build coalitions, find common ground.

• 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?
  • Other

    I support lowering the income tax; however, raising the sales tax in a broad-brushed manner affects low-income earners unfairly. I’d support expanding the sales tax to a broader range of goods and services, particularly at the higher price points.

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

    I think most gun owners are highly trained and responsible, and they understand better than those of us who don’t own guns just how dangerous the weapons can be. I’m not opposed to background checks for privately sold firearms, but I’m always concerned about infringement of rights and the ability to enforce laws that aren’t well thought out.

• 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?
  • Other

    I support a minimum wage increase, but this is too steep and will have a negative effect on the overall economy. What if the economy declines by 2020–is a $12/hour minimum wage appropriate? Should we consider a minimum wage tied to the consumer price index (cpi) instead? I’d also prefer to see a tiered approach, perhaps incorporating a lower minimum wage for entry level workers for example. More importantly, though, I have to ask the question, do we really want folks to aspire to minimum wage jobs? Wouldn’t our energy be better spent on encouraging better job opportunities and options?

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

    I’m a half-hearted supporter of this initiative, not because I think it’s a good thing for our society, but because I generally favor less governmental regulation and greater individual responsibility. If it’s legalized, marijuana purchases should be heavily taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol. We should warn buyers of the dangers of use, just as we do with cigarettes.

• 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?
  • No we’re obviously not doing enough. We need to look at this issue in the context of other governmental and societal factors within and outside of Maine. Do we need to further or better regulate the prescribing of opiate-derived pain meds? Are there ways to limit the importation of opiate-based and synthetic heroin-like drugs? Can we expand access to Narcan, a life-saving drug? Outside of governmental regulation, can we look to families, schools, religious, and cultural organizations to help with support and broaden the reach of education? There isn’t a simple fix to this problem, but we need to be committed to addressing it.