What is one new policy that the state should embrace to make housing easier to build and afford?
Review all regulations surrounding new home building. Remove any that add additional cost, slow down the building process or otherwise restrict a builder from getting homes built quickly without sacrificing safety. New homeowners cannot afford to spend nearly 25% of their build price meeting regulatory issues. We must stop trying to create affordable housing and start making housing affordable for all Mainers!
Transmission lines, solar incentives and offshore wind development have been controversial over the past several years. What steps should Maine take to meet growing demand for electricity?
Maine should adopt a philosophy of encouraging using every possible viable source of energy that we can muster. We subsidize solar and wind power but try to remove hydro dams in the name of environmental stewardship. We must look at ALL sources and force those that are not economically viable (requiring subsidies) to be able to stand on their own in spite of the whims of the environmental lobby in Augusta. Create true transparency on our electric bills. Let Mainers know the true cost and amount of renewable and fossil fuel energy that they use plus continue to disclose the public policy costs on consumer utility bills. Encourage hydro generation investment the same way we do wind and solar.

Should the state make changes to its tax laws? If so, outline your priorities.
The State MUST reprioritize spending to take care of those things that state government must do rather than those things that some governor, legislator or social service agency thinks the state should do. The growth of the state budget over the last 4 years is astounding and clearly unsustainable. The current administration has removed the guard rails placed on the growth of both state and municipal spending installed in the 2005 law, LD 1, which established 55% General Purpose aid to Education contribution by the State. That law put limits on the growth of the State and local budgets once that 55% level was achieved. Now that 55% GPS has been achieved, these spending limits are critical and must be reinstituted. We don’t have a tax problem; we have a spending problem.
We are closing in on the one-year anniversary of the Lewiston mass shooting. Are further legislative responses required around guns, mental health, supporting victims and families or other policy areas?
Any new legislation surrounding guns would not have stopped the Lewiston mass shooting. Mental health is the area that the state needs to work on. Since the consent agreement in 2004, the state has struggled to deal with citizens with mental health issues. Three forces drove people with severe mental illness from hospitals into the community; 1- mental hospitals were cruel and inhumane; 2 -the hope that new antipsychotic medications offered a cure; 3 – the desire to save money. The medications are not a cure and we’re not saving any money this way! We must invest in robust treatment facilities with both day treatment and secure treatment facilities for those who are a danger to themselves or others without infringing on the due process rights of our citizens who need help!
Describe a unique attribute or area of focus that you will bring to the Legislature.
My fiscal conservatism coupled with my compassion for humanity makes for an interesting internal battle in many of the issues that we face. We must figure out what priorities the people of Maine have for spending as well as our society as a whole. We then must educate the citizens about what those priorities cost and determine if the voters of Maine are willing to pay that cost. I believe that leadership is about recognizing the problems and having the political will and the strength to work through the tough issues that we face coupled with a willingness to act regardless of who comes up with the solution. “You can get a lot done if you don’t care who gets the credit” (Ronald Reagan)