Seth Berry

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 55
Age: 47
Occupation: Business VP
Education: MA, Columbia University; BA, Brown University
Family: Married to Adelaida Gaviria, two sons ages 12 and 14
Hometown: Bowdoinham

Political experience

State Representative for Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Richmond and Swan Island, 2006-2014
House Majority Leader and Co-Chair, Select Committee on Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future, 2012-2014
Lead Democrat, Taxation and House Elections Committees, 2010-2012
Assistant House Majority Leader, 2008-2010; Member, Utilities, Technology and Energy Committee, 2006-2008
Bowdoinham Selectboard, 2002-2006
Chair of Selectboard
Chair of Waterfront Planning Committee

Why are you running for office?

As a father and former educator now working in business, I see great potential in our state. Better leadership in Augusta can help us unlock that potential.

As a State Representative, I want to help us renew our pride in being from Maine. Growing up in Bowdoinham, I learned that we 1) always help our neighbors and 2) always leave things better than we found them. This ethic isn’t unique to Maine, but it is a big part of “the way life should be.” It’s part of our brand. I see this every day as I build markets for a growing Maine business. I want the leaders of our state to model these qualities, and to show our kids and the world who we really are.

I am also running because I want Maine to have more shared prosperity. I want to see stronger ladders of opportunity, so all 34 babies born here each day can enjoy the same basic early care and chance at success. I want to simplify and level our tax code, so we all pay our fair share. I want more clean and affordable energy, more investment in shared infrastructure and public space, better support for small business, and yes, a stronger safety net, including universal health care. The stronger our safety net, the higher we can aim in life.

Maine is a magical place. I am convinced that with better leadership, we can make our state better than ever.

Correction: This page was updated on Oct. 27 to correct Berry’s party affiliation. He is a Democrat, but had been incorrectly listed as a Green Independent.

• 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 income tax is the only tax that reflects ability to pay. Rather than increasing taxes on the middle class and working families, we should simplify the overall tax structure and reduce or eliminate loopholes.Based on the last comprehensive analysis done by Maine Revenue Services, a typical mother of two working full-time at minimum wage pays nearly twice as much in overall taxes, per dollar earned, as the typical Mainer making over $350,000. That is not good for anyone. Businesses need customers with money in their pockets. Schools need students who’ve had decent child care and a decent breakfast. We all need a balanced and fair tax code. What the Governor proposes would only make matters worse.
• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • Yes. If I sell my hunting rifle to another individual, I want to know that he or she is not a convicted murderer, or on the terrorist watch list, or otherwise potentially dangerous. Passing Question 3 will make it easier for me to know this. If Question 3 does pass, I am also committed to making 100% sure that there are no obstacles to lending to a family member for hunting, or for safe storage while stationed overseas.
• 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. First, Mainers who work for a living should be able to make a living. Second, businesses like the one I work for do better when consumers have money in their pockets. Third, we also do better when our future employees are not growing up in poverty, as 1 in 5 children are now, and going without decent child care or breakfast. Fourth, despite years of recovery from the recent recession, wages have not kept up. Fifth, our welfare system is now subsidizing many out-of-state corporations who pay only minimum wage to their Maine workers and award the difference to international shareholders. This represents a net loss for Maine’s economy and one we would do well to reverse with a responsible, gradual increase in wages.
• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • Yes. Prohibition didn’t work for alcohol, and it is not working for marijuana. Just as alcohol generated a mafia made famous by Al Capone, marijuana has generated a mafia as well. Where my wife comes from, drug trafficking and the related, failed “war on drugs” have killed hundreds of thousands of people, including her best friend, her first boyfriend, and her brother — all of whom were innocent bystanders.I don’t want my children smoking marijuana, or drinking for that matter. The best way to keep our kids making good choices is not to make stupid things illegal. It is to educate them.Prevention and treatment, not locking people up, are the right ways to reduce demand and encourage healthy behavior.
• 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 do not. We need to increase treatment and prevention. One excellent model for treatment is the medication-assisted treatment being conducted at Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick, which has had excellent and affordable results. We need to understand that addiction is a disease and treat it that way.