What is one new policy that the state should embrace to make housing easier to build and afford?
Maine needs a legal task force to help combat our housing crisis. Municipalities and businesses should be able to request legal help from the state to combat unjust cancellations, delays or other litigation tactics against housing projects by entities possessing formidable wealth & legal resources of their own. This taskforce should also standardize and reduce building regulations throughout the state that unnecessarily increases the cost of building housing or prevent projects altogether. Lastly the task force needs to expedite the probate, tax foreclosure, and mortgage default processes so vacated homes could be saved from deteriorating and put back on the housing market asap.
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?
All forms of energy must be considered such as hydro, tidal, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and even the much-demonized fossil fuels when technology resolves their emission issues. To start with, Maine must eliminate the 100-megawatt cap on importing hydropower to subsidize the unsustainable wind and solar power industries for the benefit of certain businesses and their lobbyists. First and foremost, Maine must upgrade its electrical transmission infrastructure creating an interconnecting power grid accepting power from all sources throughout Maine and from outside. This effort must not be derailed by vocal special interest groups willing to sacrifice cheaper electrical rates and the jobs they would create for their own selfish self-interests.
Should the state make changes to its tax laws? If so, outline your priorities.
We must bring back and pass the senior property tax freeze; the scheduled increase in the homestead exemption; and make property tax increases dependent on the homeowner’s income. These laws were voted down by our last Democrat dominated congress. Property tax breaks for non-profits and those in Maine’s many land use programs should also be regularly scrutinized by the state and municipalities to see if they still qualify for their exemptions. Maine also needs to end all energy tax credits to well to do property owners and focus on low-income Mainers. Finally, we need to eliminate our sales tax that burdens low-income Mainers and hurts businesses when people buy their products from tax free New Hampshire next door to us.
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?
Revoke the imposed waiting period to buy a firearm. This would not have prevented this tragedy. Instead of going after citizens exercising their 2nd amendment rights, the legislature should work at preventing unauthorized persons from getting guns and punishing those who knowingly allow such people to get guns. We should also encourage gun retailers make their stores more “hardened” against afterhours break-ins or daytime strong-arm robberies. On mental health, Maine needs to return to having separate mental health facilities to deal with non-violent law breakers arrested due to substance abuse or mental health issues. Correctional officers should not have to deal with such people and mentally ill people should not be incarcerated with violent criminals.
Describe a unique attribute or area of focus that you will bring to the Legislature.
Besides my military and diverse work experiences, I’ve acquired a business degree, a degree in technical education and a master’s in workforce development. Our schools must produce people needed by Maine businesses that also have basic skills in personal finances, food preparation, and basic maintenance so they can survive during possible times of personal economic hardships. Climate change is real, but the rate of change does not justify imposing draconian economic hardships on businesses and especially low-income Mainers in the form of increased energy costs. I will focus on making electricity so cheap that Mainers will voluntarily convert to electric vehicles and heat pumps because it makes economic sense, not because autocratic bureaucrats are forcing them to do so.
