Nathan Wadsworth

Republican

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 70
Age: 36
Occupation: Forestry Company Manager
Education: Bachelors Degree in Economics
Family: Married with 2 children
Hometown: Hiram

Political experience

Current State Representative to District 70 in the Maine Legislature
Ranking Member of the Energy Committee.

Why are you running for office?

I’m running to continue serving the people of rural Western Maine. I was born and raised here and my family founded the town of Hiram in 1814. I’m a small business owner with a degree and Economics and this allows me to understand our challenges in rural Maine. I love the outdoors and I want to continue to stick up for the sportsmen and our way of life. I’m raising a young family and I’m ready to continue working hard for working families!

• 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 and sales tax down to 4 percent each. While I know this will take some work I believe we can get there by reducing the size, scope and overall cost of state government.If we were to eliminate the income tax by raising and expanding the sales tax, my fear is that Maine’s businesses simply would not be able to compete with New Hampshire. Many Mainers are already crossing the border into New Hampshire where there is no sales tax? I represent 5 towns that border New Hampshire and I don’t think raising and expanding the sales tax is in their best interest. We must also be very careful not to offset an income tax cut by raising local property taxes either. It’s a slippery slope but I believe we can lower both the income tax and sales tax down to 4 percent by reducing the size of state government.

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

    I believe Question 3 is the quintessential solution in search of a problem here in Maine where these types of gun restrictions are simply unnecessary. This is yet another case of a wealthy out of state special interest group using Maine as their guinea pig through our citizens’ initiative process.I am an avid sportsman, endorsed by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the NRA and I believe the Maine Constitution is very clear on this issue. “Every citizen has the right to keep and bear arms for the common defense and this right shall never be questioned.”

• 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.

    According to the Maine Department of Labor, since 2010, the average wage in Maine has risen 12 percent without the Maine Legislature implementing a wage mandate. I would not be opposed to a small increase to the minimum wage but $12 per hour is just too high. If this passes Maine would not be able to compete with New Hampshire. This would also cause business owners to raise the price of their goods and services to offset the increase to their labor costs. While some people would see a raise in their wage to offset the price increases, this would disproportionately hurt the elderly and disabled among us living on a fixed income who won’t see an increase in their income. If this passes, it would also eliminate the tipped credit which would actually decrease the income of anyone working in the restaurant industry who relies on tips. For these reasons, I oppose this question in its current form.

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

    I think there are pros and cons to legalizing marijuana for recreational use but at this point the use, sale and cultivation of marijuana as laid out in this question is still against federal law. I think Maine should wait until the federal government acts before taking this step.

• 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?
  • Make no mistake about it, the trafficking and use of heroin and other opioids has become an epidemic in Maine. During the last legislative session I supported a comprehensive bill that added 10 additional agents to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and more than $2 million in funding for treatment for those who are addicted. This was a good start but we still have a lot more work to do. I think we’re on the right track. I am hopeful we can do even more to help our law enforcement community as they are on the front lines battling the people trafficking this poison into our state. And we must also do more to help those who are addicted get the treatment they need to get their lives back on track. We cannot let this become a political football. I am confident that we can find the consensus necessary to get this done.