Over the last few months I’ve had a personal tour of the dingy side of politics. More specifically, I’ve seen what power-hungry and insecure politically driven organizations do when threatened.
Admittedly, like many, I’ve watched this process from afar grow louder and more disturbing over the years and wonder where the money comes from. I wasn’t ignorant to the actions but I must admit I was naïve as to the effects it has on your day-to-day life.
As a candidate for state office this year, I’ve been the subject of over $150,000 of attack ads delivered via U.S. mail, over the radio airwaves, on social media and broadcast on television. While the attacks have come mostly from a political party, a number of efforts have come from shadow groups with no clear identity and no tracking source of the funds they use.
While the original goal of my efforts was to frame conversations around issues that matter most to the future of our state, it has morphed into discussions of good vs. evil. Time that should be spent discussing important matters of policy has yielded more ground to the areas of lies, linguistic liberties and the pursuit of positive messages.
And while I should actually take a moment to thank these folks for clarifying the choice for so many in this race, I’m left with more questions than answers. I’m mystified as to the lack of integrity, ethics and overall purpose demonstrated inside the process we use to elect policymakers who will be charged with shaping the future of our state.
What’s not lost on me as well are the similarities in issues facing our state in each election cycle over the last 20 years. It seems that we are discussing the same topics every two years, and I’d argue that on some we’ve actually lost ground.
How many times do we need to hear about a business rejecting Maine due to lack of comparatively affordable energy? Or worse yet, how many more mill and manufacturing jobs must we lose before we actually put ideologies and emotions aside in the name of developing an efficient and effective energy policy?
How many more times do we say 55 percent in education before we actually take the topic seriously and work toward progress and not punishment of our public school systems?
How many more methadone clinics, homeless shelters and food banks do we need before we realize that addiction, mental illness and poverty need a cohesive and connected strategy for the sake of our communities?
And yes, there are many who find themselves in need of the welfare services our state offers, use them against the very fabric of their pride, and benefit from a network of support until they can find their way.
But let’s not get so misty-eyed in the moment that we overlook the hard data that says fraud exists, people are taking advantage, and EBT cards are being used to support drug habits. Saying that we need careful reform shouldn’t be an offensive statement. Creating greater accountability will only strengthen the program for those who are truly in need.
Yes, we need higher-speed Internet in more areas. Yes, we need to streamline our higher education system to be more relevant and less administrative. And yes, our roads are in terrible shape, and we need to do something about that.
Our cities provide economic sparks that feed the state tax coffers, and we need to have cooperation and not conflict between service centers and Augusta. We are not on an island — we should utilize federal funds to expand our health care programs and not put it on the backs of property tax payers alone.
But perhaps more importantly, we should revisit the way in which we interview candidates for the job. With the absurd volume of negativity, attacks and lack of accountability during the campaigns, is it any wonder nothing gets done once the winners are actually chosen?
Don’t let this be another year where faceless organizations and insecure power-hungry pundits shape the discussions and dictate what the final outcome will be. We all lose when that happens, and we end up repeating the chaos and keeping the issues — and not the solutions — in the forefront.
Cary Weston is a husband, father of three, small business owner and Republican candidate for Maine State Senate District 9, representing Bangor and Hermon.