{"id":11816,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/bret-m-martel\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","slug":"bret-m-martel","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/bret-m-martel\/","title":{"rendered":"Bret M. Martel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2022 \u2014 Candidate for Androscoggin County Commissioner, District 1 \u2014 lost general election.  2025 \u2014 Elected Lewiston City Councilor, Ward 7 \u2014 serving January 2026 to present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public safety: Support law enforcement, strengthen consequences for repeat violent offenders and arrive in Augusta with legislation ready to reform Maine\u2019s juvenile justice system and address violent youth crime. Affordability: Fight wasteful spending, fraud and abuse that drive up costs and taxes. Education: With only about one-quarter of Maine 4th and 8th graders proficient in reading, refocus our schools on academics, accountability and measurable results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m running because Maine has been led too far down the wrong path by leadership in Augusta for me to stand on the sidelines. Taxes and the cost of living are out of control, too many of our children are falling behind academically, and communities are struggling with violence, drug abuse and homelessness. Maine no longer resembles the place I grew up in and love. I want my family, and yours, to inherit a Maine that is safe, affordable, full of opportunity and a place they\u2019re proud to call home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maine is still blessed with people who care for their neighbors and fight to preserve what makes our state special. Where we\u2019ve gone wrong is leadership that manages symptoms instead of solving problems. Handing out needles amid an addiction epidemic while adopting policies that increasingly tolerate disruptive or criminal behavior associated with homelessness is not solving the underlying problems. Compassion must include recovery, accountability and safe communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve learned as a city councilor that effective representation starts with being accessible, engaged and responsive to constituents, whether we agree or not. In Augusta, I\u2019ll bring Lewiston\u2019s concerns directly to the Legislature and work across the aisle when it benefits our community, with a focus on hardworking taxpayers and families who have been asked to shoulder too much of the burden. I\u2019ll measure success by real results, not rhetoric, buzzwords or changing definitions of success.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Surveys show the economy is the top concern of voters. What is a specific proposal addressing Maine voters\u2019 economic anxieties that you\u2019d work to make law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maine doesn\u2019t have a revenue problem; it has a spending and accountability problem. I\u2019ll introduce legislation to curb wasteful spending, root out fraud and abuse, and require verified savings to be returned through property tax relief instead of funding new programs. I\u2019ll reject unfunded mandates that pass Augusta\u2019s bills down to municipalities and local taxpayers, and demand measurable results from taxpayer-funded programs. Taxpayers work too hard for their money for government to waste it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5104,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Bret","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Michael","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Martel","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":11643,"voter_guide_candidate_age":43,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Sales consultant and small business entrepreneur","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Lifelong Lewiston-Auburn resident, father, small business professional, Lewiston city councilor, youth sports coach, entrepreneur and volunteer with a local dog rescue.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Edward Little High School, Class of 2001; attended Husson College, Bangor, Maine.","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1drvjM5SAZ3QOyp3OsWpcu0XXsG16XxXP","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-11816","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-republican"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11817,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11816\/revisions\/11817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=11816"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=11816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}