An Edgecomb general contractor and substitute teacher aims to strengthen schools and support small businesses if he wins election to the Maine House of Representatives.
William H. “Bill” Coombs is an independent candidate for the new House District 89. The district includes Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, part of South Bristol, Southport, and Westport Island.
Coombs plans to caucus with Democrats if he wins, but said he will vote on each issue in the best interests of his district. “I’m agreeing to caucus with the Democrats, not agreeing to vote one way or another,” he said.
Coombs, 42, co-owns All Set General Contracting. He does “a little bit of everything, from building to small carpentry work, landscaping, painting, stonework,” he said. He also substitute teaches in several area schools.
He plans to advocate for small businesses and education in the Legislature.
“I think, first of all, we need to create a job-friendly environment,” Coombs said. “We need to welcome businesses to the area.”
“I think you can keep that small-town feel, but encourage those businesses that fit the area to move in,” Coombs said.
The district needs more year-round businesses in order to have “year-round job sustainability,” particularly in the Boothbay region, where many businesses close their doors during the offseason, Coombs said.
Small businesses are “the true key” to property tax relief, Coombs said.
Coombs has his educational technician II certification and substitute teaches in the Central Lincoln County School System and the Rocky Channels School System, also known as AOS 93 and AOS 98.
“I definitely think we need to support and strengthen our school systems,” Coombs said.
Coombs supports public pre-kindergarten. Pre-K helps place students “on an even playing field,” including children from families who cannot afford private preschool, he said.
He would also support a resurrection of state Senator Chris Johnson’s “food hubs” bill. The Legislature overwhelmingly passed the bill last year, but Gov. Paul LePage vetoed it and an attempt to override the veto fell a few votes short in the House.
The bill would help create hubs to gather, process, store, and distribute local foods from fishermen and small farms. The hubs would also serve as a means to distribute fresh, local food to public schools.
The bill would benefit farms and schoolchildren, Coombs said. “I think it would be great to get that fresh produce into the school system,” he said. “I don’t think our food needs to be trucked in from out of state.”
The Maine Education Association has endorsed Coombs’ candidacy.
Coombs supports an increase in Maine’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $10.10.
“I’m a single dad of two boys,” Coombs said. “I don’t know if I could support two boys on $10.10 an hour.”
“We don’t live extravagantly, but just to maintain food, clothing, gas, and just daily living, it’s expensive, and our state is an expensive place to live,” Coombs said. “We get taxed heavily on many things.”
“I think that’s a large jump,” Coombs said. “It’s going to be hard to pass, but realistically, I think that could be a good starting place and the minimum, truly, to help people survive.”
Coombs believes “everybody deserves to have a family doctor,” although he does not know what the best way is to ensure health care access for Maine residents.
“I don’t think there’s a simple solution,” Coombs said. Instead, Democrats, Republicans, and independents “need to find a way to come together to make this happen.”
“Do I think Obamacare is the perfect solution? No. Do I think welfare is the solution? No,” Coombs said. “I think there has to be something new that comes from a solid collaboration that, in turn, is best for the state.”
Coombs said he supports a recent move by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to require approximately 12,000 food stamp recipients to work at least 20 hours per week or perform volunteer work.
The change excludes recipients with disabilities and those who have dependents.
“I think it’s important for people to feel like they’re accomplishing something, so if you have an opportunity to get out and volunteer or do something within your capability, I think that’s actually an empowering feature,” Coombs said.
He does not object to other recent welfare reforms, including the addition of photo identification to electronic benefit transfer cards and drug testing for welfare recipients with drug-crime convictions.
“I do believe there needs to be welfare reform,” Coombs said.
Coombs supports universal background checks for firearms sales. “If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
“If it stops one person who maybe shouldn’t be owning a firearm, even at the inconvenience of a few, I feel it’s worth it,” he said.
Coombs said he has the support of local Democrats. The party, however, has declined to formally back him.
“We’ve been helping Coombs,” Lincoln County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Lisa Miller said. “We aren’t endorsing independents. If he asks for advice, we’ll give it, and I’ve been trying to connect him with people, but we don’t formally endorse.”
MacDonald, the incumbent, also declined to take a public stance on the race.
“I’m not endorsing one candidate or the other … All I can say is I wish them both good luck,” MacDonald said.
Coombs coaches Lincoln County Football’s middle school team, runs the Odyssey of the Mind program at Damariscotta Montessori School, and sits on the Waldo Theatre Inc. Board of Directors.
His community service resume also includes stints as a baseball coach and president of an area baseball and softball league; and several years on the Midcoast Maine Community Action Board of Directors.
He performs with an area dance company and remains active in local theater as an actor and director.
Coombs has two sons: Thomas, 13, an eighth-grader at Damariscotta Montessori School; and Quincy, 10, a fifth-grader at Edgecomb Eddy School.
