Teresa Montague

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 129
Age: 64
Occupation: Retired Environmental Scientist
Education: BS Environmental Science
Family: Widow of Donald Lee Duncan; son Eli B. Duncan
Hometown: Clifton

Political experience

My only official political experience was running in 2014 as House District 129 candidate for the Maine State Legislature.

Why are you running for office?

Why am I running? Because Maine needs new leadership!
I LOVE MAINE, our diverse natural environment and our people.
I’m tired of hearing my neighbors, friends, and family answer my question of “How are you doing?” with “Making Do”, “Getting By”, or “Surviving”.
Instead, what I want to hear folks say is that they’re “Doing Great” or “Couldn’t Be Better”. Maine can do better. We can do better. Much Better. MAINE CAN THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE.
I am committed to working in the best interests of all Mainers. That means creating reliable, good paying jobs that match Maine people’s skills; seeing that all Mainers have access to quality educational opportunities; encouraging innovation; supporting technology, renewable energy and Maine’s agricultural traditions; keeping our property taxes affordable; making Maine a place where working people can live and prosper; ensuring that every child, family, and senior can see a doctor when they are sick; and protecting our natural environment and resources for this generation and all those that follow us.
I am also determined to have the”Will of the Maine People” supported, not thwarted. For example Maine voters know we have the oldest population in the Nation and wisely passed, with overwhelming support, an Affordable Senior Housing Ballot Initiative in 2015 that would have constructed affordable senior housing in many counties across Maine, but this program was deliberately not funded by the current administration.

• 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

    Relying on Sales Taxes for revenue would disproportionately effect low income working households and those living on fixed incomes, such as seniors and those with disabilities. This sort of tax is a Regressive tax.

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

    Like most Americans I support reasonable laws pertaining to background checks, but as a voter or potential Legislator I want to make sure that’s what those laws are limited to regulating.

• 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

    All people working full time deserve a minimum wage that provides them an income that keeps them out of poverty. Raising the minimum wage in Maine will help boost our economy by increasing the buying power of workers who in turn spend the majority of their earnings in their local communities. A fair “living” wage lowers the number of working people who use SNAP, and other government programs thus reducing the burden on taxpayers. Maine’s economy is 49th in the Nation, 50% of our children are going hungry, and the rate of adult and child poverty in Maine is increasing faster than the National rate. About 130,000 Mainers would benefit from raising Minimum Wage, around 11,000 of those being veterans. In addition Financial Difficulty is considered a primary reason for Depression & Suicide. Providing a Fair Living Wage for all employees is essential for a healthy economy and population.

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

    Legalization of cannabis would be good for people, for tourism, for the economy, for lowering the prison population and it would close some avenues for discriminatory practices.

• 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?
  • Not really. We are responding to the symptoms, not the cause. Understanding the underlying cause for abusing heroin/opiates and figuring out how to relieve that would be a huge improvement. As for overdoses I am hoping that life saving medications are readily available to emergency responders including police forces, as well as family members or friends of those at risk for overdose so they can administer the antidote if need be. I also am disappointed that Maine just refused to continue a fully federally funded program that provided care and prevention counseling and services for At Risk Youths and Young Adults for mental health issues including substance abuse.