1. What are your three top priorities?

   1. A Strong Sustainable Economy
   2. Quality Education
   3. Health Care Reform

2. The past few years, Maine Housing Authority has utilized the HOME Fund (Housing Opportunities for Maine) to help finance fundamental programs as loans for first-time homebuyers, housing for people who are homeless, affordable rental housing, home repair, and housing for people with special needs. The Fund also helps finance programs that makes homes safer for children and makes homes accessible for people with disabilities. Over the last two years, the legislature has considered taking money from the HOME Fund in order to balance the budget. If elected, would you support the protection of the HOME fund? If so, what other ways would you suggest balancing the budget?

The HOME Fund is a valuable program which has been beneficial to Portland.  I would like to protect this program and would look for ways to continue funding it by reducing spending and stabilizing our tax structure.
 

3. A major concern among young people is the rising cost of health care. 17,000 more Mainers are now uninsured since HMOs first arrived in Maine.  State-funded health care programs like MaineCare is facing consistent cuts, while publicly financed heath insurance like Dirigo, has a current freeze on new applicants. Many First World countries have supported comprehensive health care systems that cover every person with health care. Within the United States, states like Massachusetts and Maine have taken steps towards universal, comprehensive health care coverage. Would you support state legislation for universal single payer health care in Maine?
I would not support a universal single payer health care system in Maine.  That is something that would need to be done on a national level.
 
4. It seems that every month there is another recall or concern about children's toys or consumer products. The fact is that Maine families are exposed to hazardous toxic chemicals found in the consumer products that we use everyday. Toxic chemicals in the environment are among the causes of critical health problems that can be prevented. What would you do to help Maine ensure that hazardous chemicals in everyday consumer products are replaced with safer substitutes?

We should work to advocate for national standards for safe consumer products sold in Maine and other states.

5. The State of Maine is currently a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an innovative project geared toward cutting global warming emissions by establishing a cap-and-trade system for power plant emissions.  Do you support Maine's participation in RGGI? Would you support the establishment of an economy-wide cap-and-trade program in Maine that would cut greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors (i.e. transportation, commercial and residential heating, etc.)?

I support RGGI.  I would also be open to considering market based solutions to pollution in other sectors of the economy, subject to further study.

 6. The Maine Department of Transportation estimates that it faces a shortfall of more than $2 billion to simply maintain the existing transportation infrastructure. What, if any, funding solution do you support: (yes or no)

a) LD 2019, An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Funding Passenger Rail, which would secure funding for transit by dedicating a portion of revenues from general fund sources like meals and lodging, sales tax, and car rental fees?

b) Using Maine Turnpike Authority funds, which are currently dedicated to highway maintenance and expansion, for all transportation projects, including transit?
Transportation infrastructure means more than just maintaining our roads and highways.  It should also include maintaining our public transportation infrastructure.
 
c) Raising car rental fees to subsidize transit?

I am supportive of dedicating a part of rental car fees for transit.

6a. Please detail other funding options you might propose or for which you might advocate:
I am also open to considering other means to fund our transportation infrastructure.

7. With the state facing a $200 million revenue shortfall in the current biennium (a projection that may change when April receipts are tallied).  Do you support increasing the sales tax in order to avoid balancing the budget entirely through program cuts? If you do not support a tax increase of any kind – and given that “enhanced government efficiencies” will provide only very modest savings if any at all -- which programs do you propose to cut and by how much?

I am not in support of raising broad based taxes to balance the budget.  There are other ways to achieve that goal. I support the recommendations of the Brookings Institute to create a Blue Ribbon panel of citizens to examine and propose spending reductions within State government.  On the revenue side, we need to rebalance the way the State takes in funds to enhance the stability and exportability of our tax burden.

 8. As municipalities continue to provide what are increasingly expensive public goods (like education, police and fire protection), what is your plan for controlling growth in property taxes while maintaining these fundamental government services?

Maine needs to recognize the unique property tax burden placed on service centers like Portland.  I also believe the State must modify the school funding formula to recognize the unique burdens placed on service centers and we should modify revenue sharing to provide greater support for "Revenue Sharing II".   Allowing a local option lodging tax might allow an alternative revenue source for municipalities so they can be less reliant on the property tax.

9. The Opportunity Maine program will allow students who graduate from any Maine college or University, and continues to live, work and pay taxes here, to be reimbursed for student loan payments through a state income tax credit or an employer tax credit. Projections show that in ten years, this strategy could cost the state as much as $55 million annually, but the return on that investment is conservatively estimated at $75 million in new state and local tax revenues and decreased social expenditures. If elected, will you commit yourself to protecting this long-term economic development strategy, without any reduction in the credit’s size or availability?

I support the concept of Opportunity Maine and would continue to do so.  However, like all decisions I make, I am willing to consider modifications based on new information that might be introduced.

10. Portland schools are seeing less funding from the state due, in part, to increasing value of residential and commercial property. Although property valuation is a measure of taxable resources, it is not necessarily a good indicator of the ability of taxpayers to meet the funding needs of our schools. What are your thoughts on how to balance local and state contributions to school costs?

Houses don’t pay taxes, people do.  Portland is among the poorest communities in Cumberland County yet its share of school expenses paid by the state is among the lowest.  Maine's school funding formula needs to recognize the costs of providing education in service centers like Portland, including greater weighting of income levels of residents, greater weighting of Special Education and English Language Learner programs, and appropriate recognition of the higher costs of salaries and facilities in service centers like Portland.

11. What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the state's new school district consolidation law, particularly as it affects Portland?

I support greater consolidation of schools statewide as, over time, it will reduce the costs of education statewide.  This helps Portland and the region as it will free up state funds for low receiver communities.

12. Given Mainers’ struggle to balance work with family care responsibilities would you support: (yes or no)

a)  Paid sick days to full and part-time workers
b)  Paid family and medical leave
c) Legislation that allows workers to request flexible work schedules without employer retaliation

I do not think these benefits should be legislated.  We need to attract businesses to Maine and legislation like this sends the wrong message to businesses.  A better approach would be to consider incentives to encourage businesses to offer these benefits.

13. Do you support current Maine law (22 M.R.S.A. § 1502), which allows minors to consent on their own behalf for health care including contraceptive counseling, mental health care and substance abuse treatment?

I support the right for minors to consent to treatment under certain circumstances.  However, as the parent of young children, one of whom is middle school age, I also recognize that younger minors may not have the ability to make thoughtful, potentially life altering, decisions without their parent’s input. Therefore, I might support parental consent for certain minors in certain circumstances.

14. Currently seventeen states fund abortion care for poor women on the same or similar terms as other pregnancy-related and general health services in their state-run Medicaid program. Maine’s Medicaid program only covers abortion care when the life of the pregnant woman is at risk or she is the victim of rape or incest. Would you support funding abortion care for women covered by Medicaid in Maine?

I support covering abortion under Medicaid on similar terms as other pregnancy related and general health services.  I support a woman’s right to choose. 

15. There is a significant move in Europe, Alaska, and Southeast Asia toward the independent certification of fisheries as sustainably-harvested.  In effect, consumer demand for sustainable fisheries is moving faster than regulatory bodies to save fisheries from overfishing. New England is behind the rest of the world in this regard; Maine has no independently certified fishery. Would you support a similar move toward independent certification in Maine?

I do not know anything about independent certification of fisheries and so I am not in a position to answer this question.

16. What do you see as the biggest challenge for Maine fisheries over the next five years? Biggest opportunity?

The cost of fishing in Maine is higher than in the rest of New England. The regulatory limitations on commercial fisherman in Maine are more restrictive than in other states. Massachusetts fishermen are in essence allowed more days at sea because they are closer to the Georges Bank than Maine fishermen; this is the result of Federal policy. Massachusetts fisherman can also land a certain amount of lobster by-catch enhancing the value of their trip.  Given these advantages it is little wonder why our fishing fleet has contracted to Portland, and soon may leave Portland all together.  Our greatest opportunity is figuring out how to address these issues and grow our fishing fleet.

17. Do you favor creating a path of citizenship that allows undocumented immigrants to come forward and begin the process of permanent residency and then legal citizenship?  (yes or no)

Not sure.