What is one new policy that the state should embrace to make housing easier to build and afford?
Rebuild the manufactured housing industry that used to employ 1,000 people in my district around Oxford, with 5 manufacturing plants, setup crews, haulers, and retailers. Since the Great Recession only one of those manufacturers is still open. If reelected I plan to introduce legislation based on a Colorado law to stimulate Maine-made modular and manufactured homes, made from Maine natural resources to meet the demand for 80,000 units needed in the next few years. My bill will also promote Whole Home Repair, based on a Pennsylvania law, that provides funding to homeowners to rehab existing dilapidated housing, which unhappily we have a lot of in rural Maine.
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?
We cannot put all our energy future into one basket. We need to encourage electrification, and this is not done by giving solar developers sweetheart deals that is paid for by above-market costs pushed to ratepayers. Higher rates discourage electrification. We should revisit the 100 MW regulatory limit on what is considered “renewable” sources. We also need to modernize the grid, which is a challenge when it is owned by foreign investors and foreign governments who wish to export profits out of the country instead of reinvesting in the grid.
Should the state make changes to its tax laws? If so, outline your priorities.
Mainers are among the highest taxed people in the nation. Particularly pernicious is the property tax. We need to fully fund the homestead exemption. If reelected I will reintroduce my bill to provide a fully-funded homestead exemption at 50% the median home value for seniors. We must also continue to review tax expenditures, which are giving hundreds of millions of dollars of subsidies to special interests on the backs of ordinary taxpayers.
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?
I worked tirelessly at the end of this year’s session to fund the mental health resiliency package of bills that came out of committee with strong or unanimous bipartisan support. Sadly, the Mills Administration would only commit to funding those proposals that were one-time in nature. We need to provide ongoing support for those needing mental health services so that we can build a lasting network of providers to get people the health they need to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe.
Describe a unique attribute or area of focus that you will bring to the Legislature.
I will continue to fight to drive big, dark money out of our elections so that Maine elections will be about the prerogatives and needs of Maine people, not special interests and ideologies.
