Donna Bailey Courtesy Photo/Susan Costa Photography

SACO – Sen. Donna Bailey of Saco has launched her campaign for re-election to Senate District 31 and will seek the Democratic nomination in the June primary.

Senate District 31, recently reapportioned, as were all Maine’s legislative districts, includes Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Buxton.

Bailey, who served in the Maine House of Representatives until her 2020 election to the Senate, said a senior property tax deferral program she helped revive will help Maine residents. Similar to a program that operated from 1989 to 1991, it allows the state to pay property taxes on behalf of a qualifying senior 65 years of age or older or an individual who is permanently disabled, ensuring the municipality receives property taxes. The loan is to be repaid once the property is sold, or the owner passes away.

“I’m taking action to address the ongoing housing crisis by ensuring more Maine seniors keep more money in their pockets for food, medication and travel,” said Bailey. “The new law I helped pass revives the Senior Property Tax Deferral Program to reduce the burden property taxes have for those most vulnerable in our community.”

Bailey is a member of the Appropriations & Financial Affairs Committee, the budget-writing committee in the Legislature, and is a member of the Government Oversight Committee.

“I’m in the best possible position to deliver real results for our area as I’ve worked with my colleagues and Governor Mills on passing budgets that reflect our core values as Mainers,” said Bailey in a news release. “We’ve finally funded the state’s share of education at the voter-approved 55 percent level, funded free school meals for all public-school students, and signed off on a plan to fully restore revenue sharing by 2023.”

Bailey is a practicing attorney specializing in real estate, family, and probate law. She has previously served on the Saco Planning Board and Board of Appeals and served a four-year elected term as York County Judge of Probate.

Bailey plans to run as a Clean Elections candidate.