Suzanne Andresen (Piper Pavelich photo)
A new approach to affordable housing and elderly care is at the forefront of Senate District 24 candidate Suzanne Andresen’s mind.
Andresen, I-West Bath, faces Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, and Jeffrey K. Pierce, R-Dresden in the race for Senate. Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, is serving her fourth and final term in the seat.
District 24 consists of all of Sagadahoc County, as well as Dresden in Lincoln County.
Andresen earned dual bachelor’s degrees in marketing and real estate from the University of Southern California. Despite being told she couldn’t have a job while acting as a hall advisor, her career as a real estate broker began in her dorm room her senior year of college, she said.
“Once I get attached to it, I stick with it,” she said of her interests.
Following her graduation, she moved to Connecticut to pursue a job in sales at Xerox, a technology company.
Currently, Andresen is the president and chief revenue officer of REI INK magazine, a publication for real estate investors.
Andresen has lived in West Bath for over 20 years and is serving her second term on the town’s select board, a role she would not have taken without a push from her loved ones, she said.
“My husband came home after registering our car with a petition for select board and three of the 25 names already on it,” she said. “Now I’m in my second term and it’s made me want to go farther. I didn’t raise my hand for it, but I definitely appreciate connecting with the community.”
Due to her position on the board, she has seen firsthand how decisions made at the state level can affect municipalities. She feels Mainers – especially elderly community members – can be represented better, especially in the housing and health care sectors.
“The plan we have in place right now – where if someone can’t afford to pay their taxes, it’ll accrue and we’ll take it out of the sale on their passing – I don’t think that’s the right answer,” she said. “You’re essentially liquidating a homestead … And I don’t think that’s the answer to our community.”
Andresen played an integral role in the development of Avita of Brunswick, a 60-apartment assisted living facility that opened in 2017. She created and presented the plan for the facility to staff at Northbridge Companies headquarters in Massachusetts, stating the need for a dementia care facility in the Midcoast area. She said part of her passion for the project was selfish, as her mother had dementia.
Despite achieving her goal, Andresen said there is still work that needs to be done to support elderly Mainers.
“At Avita, when my mom was there, it was 5% (provider tax). Today, there’s a 6% provider tax, so we’re essentially taxing the elderly to live in a dementia facility, which is necessary for them to survive and be kept healthy and well, and that should not be there. We need to find another way to accommodate that,” she said.
Her background in real estate fuels Andresen’s passion for finding ways to increase affordable housing opportunities in the state, she said.
“I feel like most of my focus stems from housing because that’s where almost my entire career has been, but with that it’s housing for the elderly … I think we definitely need to do better,” she said. “The stabilized tax strategy, I think, was more hurtful than beneficial for the elderly folks of Maine … We need to find a way to stabilize their housing but also find a way to make housing affordable for the incoming younger generation.”
Andresen said she is currently working with two investors who are considering a 250-500 unit housing project with low rent to help remedy the lack of affordable housing in the state. The group is currently looking at the local markets that support District 24.
“Folks that are getting out of nursing, and new graduates or kids who are trying to get out on their own, it’s nearly impossible for them to find housing, and I think there’s a way we can do that cost-effectively,” she said. “Regardless of me getting elected or not, I still will pursue that, but I’d very much rather do it as a state senator … I think it’s the right thing to do, and I think it’s important to make sure our community has a place to call home.”
One way the state has attempted to alleviate housing affordability issues is through the establishment of L.D. 2003, a bill that allows the development of additional accessory dwelling units on properties. Andresen said she believes the implementation of this bill could have been handled better.
“There’s things that we can do on a path forward to protect the privacy and community that you have today, but also build housing. There’s a shortage across the country,” she said. “I think L.D. 2003 should’ve had a minimum timeframe built into that. If they were going to mandate an ordinance, they should’ve put it into full effect.”
While the development of affordable housing is a step in the right direction, Andresen said the state should also be implementing ways to help community members afford housing.
In the late 1990s, many states developed and launched a 529 college savings plan, a tax-advantaged account designed specifically for education savings. In January, the IRS decided account holders could roll over unused funds to Roth IRAs without penalties.
If elected, Andresen said she would like to develop a 529 real estate savings plan, or 529r, to help Mainers save to rent or purchase property.
“We already have the framework, we just have to get the federal government and the IRS on board … We could create a housing fund that follows renters,” she said. “It’s definitely outside the box thinking, but the frameworks exist already as a tax savings plan, but it’s only for college. Let’s bridge housing now, let’s take that to another level.”
Andresen’s stance as an independent candidate has turned heads, she said, but that won’t deter her from serving every Mainer in District 24.
“I don’t think you need a party to represent the people … I don’t feel I have to pick a team to do right by the people,” she said.
When she’s not campaigning or serving the community members in West Bath, Andresen said she enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband and son.
For more information, go to suzanneandresen.com.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
