Incumbent Democrat Jessica Fay is facing Republican challenger Greg Foster for the second time in the House District 66 race.

District 66 includes parts of Casco and Raymond, as well as Poland.

Jessica Fay

Fay

Political party: Democratic

Age: 52

Residence: Raymond

Family: Married

Education: B.A., Simmons College, 1991

Occupation: Owner, Maine Lakes Wedding and Event Florist, 2000-present

Civic/political experience: State representative, 2016-present; founder, Age Friendly Raymond, 2017-present; volunteer, Meals on Wheels Androscoggin County, Raymond Community Garden

Website: fayforme.com

Gregory Foster

Foster

Political party: Republican

Age: 64

Residence: Raymond

Family: Divorced, one daughter

Education: B.S., University of Maine, 1979

Occupation: Owner, Timberstate G. Inc.,  1994-present)

Civic/political experience: Current and 15-year member of Raymond Planning Board; previously served on Conservation Commission, Ordinance Review Committee and Comprehensive Plan Committee

Website: gregfoster2020.com

In 2018, Fay received about 55% of the vote to defeat Foster in the general election.

Fay is publicly funded under the Maine Clean Election Act while Foster is traditionally funded through individual contributions and political action committees.

Fay

Seeking her third term in the Legislature, Fay said in an interview last week that she’s isn’t focused on her priorities, but rather “the priorities of the people in the district.”

Fay said she’s heard that protecting the environment and childcare and long-term care support are important topics for constituents.

She added: “I have been involved (in) the conversation about what it means to age well in Maine and I have been working state-wide on that issue with advocates … Making Maine more age-friendly helps not just older folks, but improves the quality of life for all of us.”

In terms of the pandemic, Fay said she sees her role in helping the state recover threefold: “helping the community connect to resources, facilitating conversations and actions that can help us recover,” and addressing the budget shortfalls.

The pandemic has highlighted why access to high-speed broadband, telehealth and affordable childcare must be a top priority, she said.

“I think this district needs a strong advocate who is willing to work across the aisle and listen … (we) do our best work when we’re including all the stakeholders,” she said.

Foster

Foster said that in order to help the state and District 66 recover from COVID-19, “we’ve got to come up with a much better strategy for reopening businesses.”

As a legislator, he would look closely at government spending, He said he wasn’t aware of any government spending cuts while “our businesses took a beating.”

Foster told the Lakes Region Weekly last week that Mainers should be able to keep “more of their money and more of their rights and freedoms,” adding that “people are better able to spend their own money than the government is.”

He said he believes competition in the economy is the best way to provide quality service at a reduced cost. He named school choice as one example, saying that parents pay property taxes but have no choice in which school their child attends.

“Basically, the schools have a monopoly on where their child goes to school … they have no opportunities for a competing  school to take their child to through a voucher system or something of that nature,” he said.

As a second-generation forester, Foster said he’s long been involved in issues of forest management, having worked with Southern Maine landowners throughout his career.