Edward J. “Ed” Polewarczyk (Nolan Wilkinson photo)
In his reelection bid for House District 47, Rep. Edward J. “Ed” Polewarczyk, R-Wiscasset, is focused on budgeting, whether it’s through lowering energy costs or cutting taxes.
“The ability to pay, that basic, fundamental assumption, I don’t believe is valid anymore,” Polewarczyk said. “People don’t have the ability to pay.”
Polewarczyk is seeking a second term representing House District 47, which consists of Wiscasset, Alna, Whitefield, and Jefferson. He is opposed by Wayne K. Farrin, D-Jefferson.
Polewarczyk, 81, was born in Worcester, Mass. and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute before serving two years as an officer in the U.S. Army in the mid-1960s.
He went on to have a 34 year career working as an aerospace engineer for contractors involved with NASA’s space shuttle program. Polewarczyk credits his engineering background for giving him a problem-solving mindset needed in the Legislature.
“I think we need to focus on defining the problems and stepping back and understanding their real root causes,” Polewarczyk said. “Here’s the problem; the cause of the problem. Here’s the solution, and before we run and adopt the solution, we spend a lot of time evaluating what the consequences are.”
Polewarczyk retired as director of production and operations for the United Space Alliance in 2008, having worked in the Johnson Space Center in Houston. His wife, Arlene, guided the couple in moving from the suburbs of Houston to rural Wiscasset.
Polewarczyk said he was motivated to get involved in town politics because he was incensed by rumors of a proposed Wiscasset bypass running through his property. Once he started attending select board meetings, he became interested in how his tax dollars were spent. In 2009, he was elected to the Wiscasset Budget Committee.
He was elected to the Wiscasset Select Board in 2010 and served until 2014, when surgeries on both his knees slowed him down for a while.
In 2022, Polewarczyk was elected to serve a two-year term in the Maine House of Representatives, defeating Les Fossel, I-Alna, and Evan Goodkowsky, I-Wiscasset, in a three-way race.
In Polewarczyk’s term, the Legislature saw more than 2,000 bills introduced, which he said distracted from its ability to more effectively solve problems. Currently, members of the Legislature “do not take the time to look at the details” of how money is spent to fix various issues because they do not have enough time, Polewarczyk said.
“Let’s limit the number of bills,” Polewarczyk said. “If we limit each legislator to introducing 10 or 15 bills, there’s 151 legislators, so that’s around 1,000 or 1,500 bills.”
Recording only 12 absences from votes during his term, Polewarczyk was the primary sponsor of two bills in 2023: L.D. 1039, an “Act to Provide Restitution for Victims of Shoplifting for Time Spent Dealing with the Offense,” and L.D. 1038, an “Act to Reinstate Plurality Voting by Repealing the Ranked-choice Voting Laws.” Both ultimately failed.
Because the Legislature currently has 67 Republicans to 79 Democrats, Polewarczyk said his ideal policies were unlikely, and, to accomplish anything, he must be willing to work with the opposition.
“I feel I have an obligation to understand their view,” Polewarczyk said. “I don’t have to agree with them, and, in many cases, I won’t agree with them, but they will know how I feel, and I will make an effort to understand where they’re coming from. In many cases, they make a lot of sense.”
Polewarczyk said he wants to lower energy prices by reducing the focus on renewable energy. The state’s renewable portfolio standard mandates 80% of its electricity needs to be obtained from renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, by 2030, which Polewarczyk said is driving energy costs up.
“Solar systems are destroying our forests, that clean our atmosphere, and it doesn’t make sense to me,” Polewarczyk said. “They’re a resource that we’re wiping out so we can pay higher electric charges.”
Additionally, Polewarczyk said he would support a bill to reduce or eliminate the state income tax.
“There’s nine states in the United States that have no income tax, and we’re competing with them for businesses,” Polewarczyk said. “That’s a real attraction.”
He said the state may be able to entertain tax cuts because its sales tax revenues have increased along with inflation, and the state had a budget surplus for fiscal year 2024.
Polewarczyk’s experience sitting on the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs has given him insight into how education is funded, he said, and he believes the state’s academic standards are falling, and it needs to focus on traditional academics.
“It’s academics that will benefit these children throughout school,” Polewarczyk said. “Grammar, rhetoric, and logic – those are the three skills that are essential.”
He said he supported legislation like L.D. 1129, an “Act to Enact the Curriculum Transparency Act,” which was sponsored by Rep. Heidi Sampson, R-Alfred. The majority in the House did not pass the bill in 2023.
Polewarczyk said a bill like this was necessary to assuage fears he has heard from parents that schools may be politically indoctrinating children.
Polewarczyk said he feels his experience after a term in the House will help him should he be reelected.
“I’m one of 151, and it’s hard to make an effect, but I can get in there, speak my mind, get up in front of the House, talk at committees, try to convince people as we walk and talk along the hallways and do the best I can to affect those things, right?” Polewarczyk said.
Polewarczyk received an “A” grade from both the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of Maine. He received endorsements from the Sportsman Alliance of Maine, the Christian Civic League, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses Maine PAC.
Polewarczyk said he enjoys walking through the trails on his property, reading, and watching NASCAR. He has a son, Joseph, and daughter, Mary.
For more information, email Polewarczyk at edward.polewarczyk@Legislature.maine.gov or go to his Facebook page.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
