Previous Offices Held
I am a first-time candidate.
Top Three Priorities
1. Lower property taxes: Double the homestead exemption, reform school funding, and grow our commercial tax base. 2. Good-paying jobs: Redevelop the Androscoggin Mill site and encourage entrepreneurship in our schools to grow local businesses. 3. Strong communities: Attract healthcare providers, raise pay for direct care workers so seniors can age at home, and ensure police, fire and EMS have the resources they need to keep us safe.
Why are you running?
I grew up here, but after graduating from Spruce Mountain in 2017, there were few opportunities for me to build a career locally. I had to leave for an education and a good-paying job. I always believed that education should be reinvested in the community that raised you, so I came home when I could and got to work serving our seniors, food pantry and veterans. I saw our communities struggling, and I didn’t see enough urgency or new ideas coming from our representation in Augusta.
What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?
Maine is on the right track because of its people. Despite division, we still look out for our neighbors and care deeply about our communities. But rural Maine has been left behind as manufacturing jobs have disappeared. Cumberland and York counties offer growing opportunities, while families in western Maine may drive an hour for a good job or a doctor. Being one state should mean opportunity and quality of life don’t depend on your ZIP code.
As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?
I will be present, accessible and transparent. I attend town meetings, church services, benefit suppers and veterans events because representation shouldn’t end after Election Day. I’m not driven by ideology or culture wars; I seek ideas from the people of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls, not a political party. I’ve built lasting solutions before — from founding our community garden to advocating for school funding reform — and I’ll bring that same practical approach to Augusta.
Surveys show the economy is the top concern of voters. What is a specific proposal addressing Maine voters’ economic anxieties that you’d work to make law?
I would work to double Maine’s homestead exemption to provide immediate property tax relief to homeowners. Many seniors in our community have lived in the same home for decades, but rising valuations and taxes can make staying there increasingly difficult on a fixed income. No one should feel pressured to leave a longtime home because they can no longer afford the property taxes. Doubling the exemption would provide meaningful relief to homeowners across Maine.