{"id":12295,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/rebecca-j-long\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:47","slug":"rebecca-j-long","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/rebecca-j-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebecca J. Long"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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First time running for office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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My top priorities are making Lewiston\u2019s property tax system more predictable and transparent, ensuring people who live and work here can find safe affordable places to live, and reducing violence through prevention. I will advocate to expand property tax relief and strengthen our tax base. I will focus on expanding housing options and investing in community-based approaches to violence intervention, while spending smarter and focusing on what creates change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m running because I care deeply about Lewiston and I believe in its future. I want to help build a community where people feel safe, have opportunities to thrive and can see themselves building a life. I\u2019m running to bring a practical, thoughtful and collaborative approach to city government and help move Lewiston forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your town\/county? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lewiston\u2019s biggest challenge is turning limited resources into meaningful results for residents. We have no shortage of people who care deeply about this city, but we can do a better job connecting residents, businesses, community organizations and our local government around common goals. Our biggest opportunity is to build those connections and create the kind of momentum that makes people confident in Lewiston\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how the town\/county functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would create more opportunities for residents to come together, build connections and solve problems. I will build on the momentum of the new Community Ambassadors program and expand opportunities for young people to connect with adult mentors through recreation, shared interests and job-skill building. We don\u2019t have unlimited resources, but we have a community full of hardworking, knowledgeable people who care about Lewiston. I want to harness that strength and turn it into action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Do you support more development \u2013 i.e. more housing construction and business building in your town\/county? Why or why not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We know Maine is facing a housing shortage, particularly a shortage of housing that is within reach for many of the people who live and work in Lewiston. I will prioritize filling vacant lots in our neighborhoods and building housing that seniors can afford, allowing them to remain in the communities they call home. We should also build on Lewiston\u2019s manufacturing legacy by attracting businesses that provide on-the-job training and access to well-paying jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5040,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Rebecca","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"J","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Long","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12293,"voter_guide_candidate_age":40,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Coordinator of horticulture training programs","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Over 10 years of public sector experience, proud Maine Education Association union member, appointed member of State Agricultural Water Board, Mental Health First Aid certified.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"B.A. in philosophy and M.S. in biological and environmental science, specialization in sustainable agriculture and food systems","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1Ul-k2KKUP1pZGKnn3Gsko5A9D7cE7ErE","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12295","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12295","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\/12295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12296,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12295\/revisions\/12296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12295"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}