House District 52 Rep. Sean Paulhus hopes to keep Bath blue as he fends off a challenge from Republican Jason Desjardins this Fall. The winner will serve a two-year term as Representative from the newly drawn District 50, which covers Bath.

Paulhus, a lifelong Bath resident, spent more than a decade on the City Council before winning his way to Augusta in a 2019 special election. He, like many other candidates on both sides of the isle, hopes to make housing in his hometown more affordable while also improving the region’s infrastructure.

Desjardins moved to Bath in 2019 after working in the area for over 16 years as an electrical engineer at Bath Iron Works. In an interview with Cory King of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber, Desjardins said he hopes to find solutions to Maine’s aging workforce and reevaluate regulations that are prioritizing the environment over economic issues like inflation, energy prices and affordable housing.

Attempts to reach Desjardins to get his responses to the questionnaire were unsuccessful.

Q&A with Sean Paulhus

Tell the voters about yourself.

I grew up in Bath, graduated from Morse High School in 2004 and went to college in Ohio at Marietta College, graduating in 2008. I returned to Bath, was elected that fall of 2008 to the Bath City Council at 22 and served on the council until 2021. I served as vice chair for several years and chaired the Bath Flag committee. I was then elected and reelected to the Legislature in 2019 and 2020. Currently my wife Nicole and I and our four kids, three of whom attend Bath schools, live in a house that six generations of my family have lived in on Middle Street. Previously I had worked as Sergeant at Arms of the Maine Senate and as an assistant in the State Auditor’s office. Currently I work at Bowdoin College as a security officer.

Why are you running for this seat?

I’m running because I believe working people need a voice in Augusta – someone like my wife and I, who are both working and raising a family and paying are bills. I’m also running so that my kids and future generations have better opportunities to grow and live right here in Maine. Bath is my home; it’s where I grew up, where I came back to and where my kids are growing up. Bath and her people are a special place, and I want to what I can to serve my city and home. I also believe public service is a noble and honorable thing to do. I want to encourage, as I was, to get involved and make difference in our community and state.

What are the biggest challenges or concerns facing your district in the coming term?

Affordable housing is a key issue in the district and one that the city and state have been trying to figure out and one that will need to be looked at in the coming legislature. Property Tax relief is another; I’m proud to have supported the increase in revenue sharing to help communities like Bath, but we need to do more to help our fellow neighbors.

What are your top priorities if elected?

Affordable Housing, supporting education – both students and teachers – and also making sure childcare workers get support as well. Work to help food insecurity in our state by supporting the groups that do the work to help our neighbors. Infrastructure is another priority and is one that everyone needs, as good roads and bridges in turn help and boost our economy.