Previous Offices Held
Currently serving second consecutive two-year term representing House District 147.
Top Three Priorities
My priorities are: 1. Strengthening Maine public schools by addressing student achievement, managing increased costs of special ed, supporting educators and solving the school construction logjam. 2. Reducing property tax burdens for year-round Mainers by implementing recommendations of the Real Estate Property Tax Relief Task Force. 3. Building the economy to attract high-wage, high-need jobs to the state.
Why are you running?
I am running for reelection because this is a critical time. State legislators are protecting elections, defending people’s rights, and working to ensure access to food, heat and healthcare. Good policy making is very difficult. It takes knowledge, perseverance, and the willingness to listen and compromise. With the challenges we face in Augusta and Washington, I can’t ask others to serve and attack problems if I’m not willing to join the fight.
What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?
Right track: I believe free community college is a major achievement. The community college system has partnered with businesses to develop courses to train young people across trades. I linked with the University of Maine System for seamless transfers to four-year degrees. The program lifts people out of intergenerational poverty and builds our workforce. Wrong track: I believe that we’ve long pursued the wrong policy regarding sovereignty of our native tribes. This must be a priority for the next governor and Legislature.
As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?
I listen to the community. I communicate with town leaders to understand challenges, and I am a strong voice for the needs of southern York County (for example, York Hospital). I fight to retain revenue sharing for all towns and work to defend local businesses in the tourist industry.
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?
We must increase the homestead exemption and expand the property tax fairness credit.