Previous Offices Held
2018 – Maine House District 70, lost primary 2020 – Maine House District 70, lost general 2022 – Maine House District 82 (formerly 70, post 2020 census) lost general 2023-2025 – board of trustees for Maine Public Employees Retirement System
Top Three Priorities
We are the oldest state in the nation, and people are not moving to our area. Older residents cannot right-size their living situations because the fiber internet connections required for today aren’t here. Finishing the investment that started with the Three Ring Binder project must be a state-level priority. Last-mile service of all sorts has always had to be finished with government intervention. Separating healthcare from employment would also be an entrepreneurial opportunity for our state.
Why are you running?
We have a citizen’s legislature in Maine, and we’re supposed to have people from all walks of life representing us in Augusta. There are lots of elected officials in Augusta telling teachers how to do our jobs that have no idea what our jobs entail. We need more voice in Augusta from people who work for a living.
What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?
Here in Maine, we have ranked-choice voting, we split our electoral college votes, and we have publicly funded campaigns through the Maine Clean Elections Act. These democratic reforms are things we need nationwide. We could improve our state is by reducing how unpredictable education funding to municipalities is. We are the oldest state in the nation, by a standard deviation. People on a fixed income need predictability. Education costs are predictable.
As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?
The number of doors I stop at where the voter says, “You’re the first politician to knock on my door” is always astounding. This is a job interview. If elected, I plan to hold office hours across the 13 towns in our senate district, and continue to make myself available to my constituents. Through all my experiences with students, parents, school board members and my community, we’ve had to work together to get ahead. We’re a small state, and we’ve got more in common than we have apart.
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?
As of mid-August, I’ve knocked on over 3,600 doors this campaign season. Property taxes, healthcare and affordability for the next generation getting started in Maine have been the issues I’ve heard from voters, at door after door. Expanding the homestead exemption and making investments in our energy system are both key priorities for me.