Jody James (R)

Age: 35

Hometown: Freeport

Education: BA in history from Lemoyne College, MBA from Brandeis University

Occupation: Vice president of Key Bank

Political experience: U.S. Senate, worked on the Small Business Committee and the Finance Committee.

What do you think the three most important issues facing Maine are?

I believe the three most important issues are: economic development, tax reform and education reform.

What do you think can be done to address those concerns?

Economic development: We need to end the brain drain that has been going on in this state for over 30 years. Year after year, I see our young people leave this state because they can’t find work. The only way to address this problem is to create an environment that allows small business owners to thrive. As the third generation to have run a small business in Freeport [Freeport Variety], I understand the challenges that small businesses face. I know what it means to meet a payroll. I know why businesses hire people, and why they become forced to lay them off. We need leadership in Augusta that fundamentally understands the economy and how to get Maine on the right path.

Job creation and full-employment require economic growth. In order to strengthen Maine’s economy, we must minimize those things that impede economic growth and promote those things that accelerate it. We need to eliminate burdensome red tape and bureaucracy, while supporting policies that encourage businesses to grow, hire and move to Maine. We need to eliminate wasteful government spending, while reforming government entitlement programs. We need to reduce taxes, while increasing our energy production, trade and human capital. This framework that I’ve outlined is the very foundation for a healthy and vibrant economy. It lets people keep more of what they make, creates good jobs, and ensures that the next generation will be able to pursue the American dream right here in Maine.

Tax reform: In order to get Maine headed in the right direction, we need to dramatically simplify our tax code. The fact is, businesses and people respond to incentives. If you want less of something, you tax it. If you want more of something, you reduce taxes. Reducing tax rates on areas that produce economic growth will ultimately translate into a higher rate of economic growth for the state of Maine. Lower taxes and a simplified tax code will put money in the pockets of struggling families and create jobs.

Education reform: In order to compete in a global economy, we need real education reform that puts the interests of students and parents ahead of special interest groups and bureaucrats. We need to dramatically expand parental choice while ensuring that teachers and students have the resources needed for success. A school is only as strong as its teachers, we need to reward the teachers who are successful and hold accountable the teachers who are not getting the job done.

Do you support same-sex marriage?

My personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman and I’ve always thought of civil unions as the perfect compromise. Ultimately, this decision will be made by the people and I will support the decision whatever the outcome may be.

Sara Gideon (D)

Age: 40

Hometown: Freeport

Education: BA from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Muskie School of Public Service, USM (continuing education)

Occupation: Former advertising executive for USA Today and CQ (formerly Congressional Quarterly Magazine)

Political experience: Freeport Town Council, 2009- present; Office of U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, Washington, D.C., 1992-1993.

What do you think the three most important issues facing Maine are?

Jobs and the economy, health care and the three Es – education, environment and energy

What do you think can be done to address those concerns?

Jobs and the economy: If people cannot work and earn a living in this state, all of the other wonderful qualities of life in Maine will not matter. We have to find better ways to encourage job opportunities, by building upon our strengths – local communities, natural resources, and the ingenuity and work ethic of our people and businesses. We need a comprehensive and visionary plan that envisions us, not as “two Maines,” but as a single, strong, solid Maine, so that we can create a pathway to economic opportunity for all Maine people. We can accomplish this by looking globally, identifying the industries of the future and keying down to which of those are compatible with the Maine we want to nurture and grow.

Health care: Whether insured, uninsured or trying to run a business and provide insurance to workers, the current system is not creating the solutions we need for enough people. At the state level, we can begin making health insurance more affordable by encouraging competition and lower prices. The first step to doing that should be creating our own state insurance exchange that takes into account the needs of Maine people and small businesses. The second is to investing in preventative, healthy habits and wellness programs that lower our healthcare costs as a state, person by person.

The three Es – education, environment and energy: When it comes to education, there is one thing that people agree on – ensuring our youth have access to an excellent public education no matter where they live in Maine. In Freeport and Pownal, many residents have strong views about the school consolidation that formed RSU 5. I believe that, after some additional time, we need a process to identify those areas in which consolidation has worked and where it has not. We need to allow the individual communities, parents, teachers and students to use what we have learned to develop an improved plan for the future and to determine where we, as three communities, will bring our education system to next.

Determining the future of how we use energy in Maine needs to be one of our primary goals in the next Legislature. It is time that we combine the needs of a fossil fuel-dependent state with the solutions of multiple renewable energy alternatives. What we know is that no single one of these alternatives is the final answer. What we need is a long-term vision of how these alternatives can be used in combination with an investment in weatherization and energy efficiency, to get Maine to a position of environmental health, a competitive economy, and universally available low fuel costs. To do this, we have to commit to creating a vision of where we want to be, making a blueprint to get us there and having the fortitude to stay the course.

Our environment is our foundation. We need to change the conservation and begin with the premise and understanding that protecting our natural resources is the base upon which we build everything else successfully. Whether we are talking about job creation, the future of energy use and policy, or lowering healthcare costs with proactive, healthy habits and safety considerations, having strong environmental policies as our foundation is imperative.

Do you support same-sex marriage?

I support same-sex marriage. Marriage is a sacred institution, a unique expression of love and commitment that all Americans should have fair and equal access to. As long as we prohibit same sex marriage, we are also denying gay and lesbian, committed partners in lifelong relationships, the legal rights that come with marriage. The tradition of marriage, the fundamental religious beliefs associated with marriage, the legal benefits that come to married couples – all these should be equally accessible to gay and lesbian couples in Maine.

Election 2012

Jody James