With just weeks (and counting) before the general election on Nov. 4, The Lincoln County News sponsored the first of two forums on Oct. 15 at Mobius Center in Damariscotta, which resulted in a lively discussion between the nine candidates present.
Moderated by LCN Editor Sherwood Olin, the candidates had ample time to respond to questions about Dirigo Health, the Beverage Tax, casino gambling, and their vision of state government if elected.
Lincoln County Commissioner Ken Honey is vacating his seat, and Lynn Orne and David Taylor are seeking the office of commissioner for Lincoln County District 1.
Orne was not able to attend the debate, but Taylor did and said if elected, he would offer “common sense leadership.” Taylor also believes he will bring efficient, effective and low cost government to Lincoln County and, according to his campaign material, “prides himself on being tight with a dollar.” He also wants to increase the jail program that promotes inmates helping within communities.
Appearing for House District 52, incumbent Lisa Miller (D-Somerville) is challenged by John Stewart (R-Washington); House District 51 incumbent Jon McKane (R-Newcastle) is facing off against hopeful Peter Drum (D-Damariscotta); incumbent Bruce MacDonald (D-Boothbay) is being challenged by Hamilton Meserve (R-Southport) for the House District 61 seat; and, Rep. Peter Rines (D-Wiscasset), and former Representative David Trahan (R-Waldoboro) are hoping to be tapped to fill the Senate District 20 seat vacated by Sen. Dana Dow.
In reintroducing herself to the community, Miller spoke of her two terms in the legislature serving on the Health and Human Services Committee, her dedication to “working across party lines,” and her desire to continue her work in Augusta for her district.
Miller’s challenger, John Stewart, believes there’s a need to change how government operates in Maine; he’s for shrinking the budget, lowering taxes, and said, “The government is not here to take care of us. Lowering taxes will give us more money to take care of ourselves.”
If re-elected Jon McKane vows to continue bringing “common sense” to Augusta. “It is lacking up there,” he said. He said he’ll continue to work for accountable and open state government, for a fair and understandable school funding formula, and also supports no new or increased taxes.
His challenger Peter Drum believes Maine is at a critical junction and that its people are up to their limit with taxation. He believes investing in renewable energy would bring necessary jobs to offset taxes. “We need a new kind of leadership to bring new jobs to the state,” he said. Drum is also proud of his “positive campaign.”
Hamilton (Ham) Meserve of Southport, brings an extensive business background as a vice president for Citibank in Asia and the Middle East, and as owner/publisher of weekly newspapers in upstate New York. Meserve said he believes there’s a “basic imbalance in government. Economic development has been neglected, and the Maine economy is not growing. We need to balance the budget, and if we get a surplus, reduce taxes on business.”
Meserve said he would work to make the state more business friendly through easing of prohibitive regulations, and would look for investments and “bring it to the state. We must increase revenue.”
House District 53 Rep. Peter Rines wants to go forward into the senate, having spent the last eight years in Augusta. Rines believes the state, the nation, and internationally, “are at a crossroads on fuel issues.” He said he thoroughly enjoys the legislative process, and serving Maine’s people as his reason for seeking Senate District 20 seat.
As a former representative, David Trahan of Waldoboro served for eight years, losing his seat due to term limits in 2006. Now he’s seeking the Senate District 20 seat vacated by Sen. Dana Dow.
Trahan said he misses serving the people of his district, and vows to bring “positive things for Maine. I promise to bring a spark to the GOP.”
Moderator Olin voiced a simple outline of popular concerns about, “climate change, the tanking economy, and worries about the world we’re leaving our kids.” He asked the candidates, “Is Dirigo working?”
Prompting the longest debate of the evening, all the incumbent candidates expressed they had high hopes for the healthcare system to work, but to a candidate voiced concerns.
“It was designed to pay for itself, to be an even wash,” said Miller. “I don’t think it should be scrapped. It is the worst time to go backwards. There’s a very sick population that needs coverage.”
“Dirigo has failed,” said Miller’s challenger, John Stewart. “We still have the same number uninsured as in 2003. We should scrap Dirigo and have people get insurance on their own. Let free enterprise work in insurance.”
Meserve said Dirigo was designed to cover the 130,000 Maine uninsured with 3900 initially signing up, rising to 8000, with 6000 brought in under Medicaid. “The program is a rank failure; a market failure,” he said.
Meserve said New Hampshire’s insurance rates are one-half the cost of Maine’s and cited Massachusetts’ plan to insure its 600,000 uninsured, in 18 months had achieved 60 percent of their goal. “There are other models out there,” he said.
Incumbent Bruce MacDonald is a Dirigo supporter, calling the program “a start.” “I don’t want Dirigo to fail; it’s a modest step to provide quality healthcare,” he said.
MacDonald said he advocated for the portion of the plan called DirigoChoice. “It works with providers and they voluntarily capped prices. All-in-all, a reasonable attempt to hold healthcare prices down.”
Incumbent Jon McKane said the promises of Dirigo were broken. “We owe a half-billion to hospitals in the state,” he said. “We were told it [Dirigo] would never need tax money.” McKane added Maine was hoping to get reimbursed on Savings Offset Payment (SOP), but Dirigo enrollment is falling from its high of approximately 13,000. “The SOP is a complex formula. Dirigo was never supposed to run out of money, but we borrowed in July [to keep it going].”
McKane advocates establishing high-risk pools for those with health problems, noting other states have done it, and it works. McKane noted that the most ill one percent account for 40 percent of all health insurance claims filed. “We have the largest number of people on Medicaid in the nation, between 260,000 and 270,000 people,” McKane said. “The program [Dirigo] as it stands now has cost a huge amount of money.”
Drum said currently Maine people have the highest rate in the country for emergency room use, and said though Dirigo might not be the “answer” he doesn’t want to scrap the program until there’s something to replace it.
David Trahan said the state is “insurance challenged,” and though the concept of insuring the 130,000 uninsured is a priority, “I didn’t want it to fail, it just has. Dirigo is only addressing a small number of uninsured. Somebody explain to me how we lower the cost of healthcare by taxing it.”
Peter Rines said he believes Dirigo might fail in the next legislative session, but is concerned as to how to get affordable access to healthcare, and how it should be funded. “How do we not do it again like Dirigo?” said Rines.
As an extension of Dirigo, Olin said he was not necessarily interested in discussing the so-called beverage tax on the ballot (Question 1: People’s Veto), but how the legislature pushed the tax forward in the final early-morning hours of the legislative session without the subject passing through committee. “If elected, what would you do?” Olin said.
MacDonald said the proposed beverage tax had been bandied about for some months and passed muster with a governor appointed “blue ribbon panel.” McKane countered by saying a blue ribbon panel is not a committee, and he disapproved of how the beverage tax proposal was rolled out.
Miller said passing important legislation in the wee hours is never desirable, but the state has a part-time legislature and Olin’s comment is an example of why the state needs a full time paid legislature.
Stewart said there needs to be more accountability in Augusta. “Why do we continue to trust?” Stewart vowed if elected he would not vote for bills containing “pork.”
Trahan spoke of a “pattern of current government” that rams 400 to 500 page documents down the legislature’s throats. “The Legislature is a separate body from the governor.”
Miller said, “We have all been steamrolled by the governor. The school consolidation was the worst. We have to stop that.”
Citizen initiative Question 2 on the ballot asks to allow a casino to be located in Oxford, and Olin asked the candidates their opinions.
Most candidates oppose casino gambling, and noted the issue has been defeated twice by the voters in the past.
Rines, in support, cited the success of Hollywood Slots in Bangor and its support of harness racing. “The city is happy, the horse people are happy, and it could give a shot to Oxford County,” he said.
MacDonald did point out some nuance in that Maine has been involved with the lottery for years, and he noted the irony of picking and choosing upon which to gamble.
The candidates generally questioned if casino gambling is truly economic development, and would like to see Maine generate jobs through other avenues than casinos. However, most echoed Rines’ concern for real jobs needed in Oxford County considering the loss of jobs there due to the manufactured housing downturn.
Drum said economic development can be realized through energy means, and Maine has a chance to set itself as a leader. “We can become the Silicon Valley of renewable energy. That will bring in jobs,” said Drum.
Meserve believes casinos “hurts our image” and is counter productive.
Miller said energy jobs would take time to come, whereas she has an immediate fix; jobs in healthcare. “Healthcare is a booming part of the economy,” said Miller and she advocates for expanding education in community colleges and universities to meet the demand. She also supports agriculture, advocating for growing local and eating locally produced products.
Trahan praised the new nursing programs through Lincoln County Healthcare (Miles and St. Andrews Hospitals), and with the aging of the county, “it fits right in here in Lincoln County,” said Trahan. Trahan also said the fishing industry needs help.
McKane lamented the business climate in Maine. “We are always ranked low in business because of taxes,” he said, also noting that for many upper level jobs, people must go out of state for education.
According to statistics cited by Meserve, “Eighty percent of the state’s budget goes to social programs and education, and only one-quarter of one percent goes to economic development. We are running out of money: 80 percent of taxes come from Maine’s people, and only eight percent from business.”
Meserve said there’s a need to create revenue rather than just redistributing the wealth and that means leadership. He advocates reducing state mandates on small business, reducing taxes to five percent to relieve small business’ burden, and get the state into alternative energy. “We can become the Alaska of electricity,” he said.
“We are on a precipice,” said Rines, “Energy is a huge opportunity.”
Stewart said cuts need to be made in government. “The Maine government is the largest employer in the state,” said Stewart.
LCN’s second Candidates Night will be held Wed., Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Mobius Center in Damariscotta. Stating their positions will be contestants Les Fossel (R-Alna) and Tim Nason (D-Dresden) vying for Rep. Peter Rines’ House District 53 seat. (Rines is leaving due to term limits).
Also scheduled are House District 50 incumbent Wendy Pieh (D-Bremen) and Henry Simmons (R-Nobleboro), and Lincoln County Commissioner for District 3 incumbent Sheridan Bond (R-Jefferson) and his opponent, un-enrolled candidate Josh Pinkham of Damariscotta.
