Everett Brownie Carson

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 24
Age: 68
Occupation: Retired
Education: Bowdoin, University of Maine Law School
Family: Married, twin daughters
Hometown: Harpswell

Political experience

I have volunteered in politics for many years–on local legislative races, campaigns for governor, senator and president, and on referenda. In 1972, I ran for Congress in Maine’s first district, arguing the case for ending the Vietnam War. During my tenure at the Natural Resources Council, I helped draft environmental legislation, lobbied in Augusta and Washington, and met with elected officials at all levels. I also worked closely with cabinet level officers in state government. I served on a number of commissions and working groups appointed by governors. In most situations, I was an advocate for Maine’s environment. In all of these roles, I worked to find common ground and reach agreement with a wide array of government, business and civic leaders.

Why are you running for office?

I want to help build a healthy and vibrant future for our state.

For the last eight months, I have been knocking on doors, meeting with business owners and community leaders, and talking with as many people as possible in Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell, North Yarmouth and Pownal.

As I’ve campaigned in these communities, I have discovered a shared optimism about our state’s future and a willingness to work hard to make Maine an even better place to live, work and raise a family. Those shared values are why I am running for the state senate.

A brief bio for voters of District 24: I was a student at Bowdoin when I decided to take a break and enlist in the Marine Corps. After a tour in Vietnam, I returned to Maine, finished Bowdoin, then studied law at The University of Maine.

Following six years as an attorney with Pine Tree Legal Assistance, I joined the staff of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. That job was a great fit for me – defending Maine’s clean air, restoring our rivers and helping rebuild sea-run fisheries, advocating for clean, renewable energy, and conserving the quality of Maine’s environment.

After retiring from NRCM in 2011, my family and I moved to Harpswell (we lived in Brunswick for the previous 30 years) where I joined Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue as a volunteer ambulance driver.

The most important tasks ahead are building a strong and resilient Maine economy, broadening educational opportunity, and protecting our environment.

I will work to strengthen educational excellence at all levels, from pre-K through our community college and university system.

I will support small businesses by investing in essential infrastructure, advancing skills training, and improving access to health care for our workforce.

And I will build alliances with as many legislative colleagues as possible for the purpose of protecting Maine’s environment.

• 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

    I believe it is important to have a fair and progressive tax structure in Maine. When income taxes are reduced on people who have the greatest ability to pay, one of two things happens. Either we do not offer, or we cut, essential services (education and skills training, access to health care, police and fire, “safety net” programs for children and families, etc).

    Often, when income taxes are lowered, our wealthiest citizens benefit, and families most at risk are harmed–especially children. At the same time, taxes are often shifted from income to property, making it more difficult for seniors on fixed incomes to stay in their homes. Sales taxes should not be extended to essential goods and services. A fair and progressive income tax is the best way for Maine to fund government services. Additionally, our governor should accept federal funds which help underwrite the costs of delivering essential services, especially health care and opioid addiction treatment.

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

    Universal background checks are not an infringement of individual rights. They are a common sense approach to reducing the risk of gun-related violence in our communities. The board of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association recently voted unanimously to endorse Question 3, the background check ballot initiative. In announcing support of his organization, one chief stated, “Criminal background checks are the single most effective way to prevent felons, domestic abusers, people with severe mental illness and other dangerous people from purchasing firearms.” In addition, background checks will help reduce gun trafficking from Maine to other states, a path that also involves trading drugs for guns. The safety of Maine families far outweighs a minor inconvenience of private gun sales being subject to background checks.

• 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

    I support gradually raising Maine’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12. When a person works hard, she or he should earn enough money to be able to support herself or himself. Too many Maine workers at the bottom of the wage scale have to rely on some form of public assistance (when available) to make ends meet, especially families with children. Alternatively, they go without food, medication, health care, or heating fuel, when they most need it. As we raise the minimum wage, we also must improve skills training, expand access to education to help workers become more productive, and create more internships and “on the job” opportunities so that first time employees can add value in the workplace faster. A better wage for tens of thousands of workers will put more money directly into our local economy, improving the vitality of our communities while making better lives for our citizens.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No

    This question does not often come up with voters, as there are many issues about which citizens are more concerned–from health care to civility in our public discourse. However, because the question is on the November ballot, it merits an answer.
    I am not a fan of marijuana, and believe that we need to know more about the health effects of this drug before taking the affirmative step of legalizing recreational use.
    There are certainly appropriate uses of medical marijuana–among them, reducing pain and controlling some seizures. So I am not “anti-marijuana.” However, medical studies have come to differing conclusions about its effect upon attention span, executive function, and critical decision making. These effects are especially true with frequent use, and especially when an adolescent begins regular use. While we aren’t debating legalization for younger people, there is little question that it will be more readily available if it is legalized.

• 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

    Maine is not doing enough to combat the opioid addiction crisis. We need more and better prevention programs, and more readily available outpatient and inpatient treatment. We need to do statewide what the Addiction Resource Center in Brunswick has done: remove the barrier of “ability to pay” (whether with money or health insurance) between the patient and treatment. We need to make sure that younger, otherwise healthy adults, including veterans, can get the help they need in timely fashion. We must make sure that law enforcement officers are well trained about addiction and its effects, oriented toward getting addicts into treatment, administering life-saving medication when necessary, and helping with prevention to the extent possible. Medical professionals should be authorized to carry and use Narcan.

    We also need to emphasize a healthy lifestyle for our youth, create more volunteer opportunities to engage young people in our communities, and encourage our citizens to get outdoors into Maine’s special natural environment.