Previous Offices Held
I am seeking reelection to my third term as a state representative for District 60. That is the extent of my elective office experience.
Top Three Priorities
My top three priorities should I be reelected are property tax reform; enhanced focus on protecting the quality of Maine's environment — especially our lakes and rivers; and addressing Maine's health care crisis including protecting reproductive rights.
Why are you running?
I am running because I care deeply about my community and our state. I am blessed with good health and I have the experience and relationships to be an effective legislator. I have been very fortunate in my life and I see public service as a way to pay it forward.
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 in how the state prioritizes protection of our natural environment — our environmental laws are some of the best in the country. We're on the wrong track in our vast over-reliance on the regressive property tax to fund basic governmental services like education and public safety.
As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?
The best way for me to be effective as legislator is to cultivate mutually respectful relationships on both side of the partisan aisle — that has worked well for me for the past four years. It's also about doing the hard and time-consuming work to get bills across the finish line.
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 have already filed several bills that address the problem of Maine's over-reliance on property taxes. They include expanding the homestead exemption and the Property Tax Fairness Credit. Reining in property taxes would bring real relief to Maine's working families.