New Gloucester, Know Your House District
65 Candidates
Between now and Election Day on November
4, The Eagle will be publishing profiles
for Maine Senate and House candidates from Raymond, Windham, Gray and New
Gloucester. Each of the candidates has received the same questionnaire with a
40 word maximum average per answer and was invited to participate in a
follow-up interview. New Gloucester candidates Representative Ellie Espling and
Rosa Van Wie (House District 65), and Eric Brakey and Senator John Cleveland
(Senate District 20) will be featured this week.
Incumbent
Ellie Espling is 41 years old, married with four children. She is a graduate of
Cape Elizabeth High School and has an associate’s degree in business
administration from USM. She is a sales and marketing associate for The Print
House in Windham whose hobbies include attending her children’s’ events and
activities, reading and when she has time, running.
What inspired you to
run for State Rep. District 65?
I want to continue to be a voice for my
friends and neighbors in Augusta by bringing their ideas into the legislative
process.
What skill set do you bring to the table?
I bring my extensive community service
experience as well as my two terms of legislative experience. Most importantly,
I am a good listener.
If you had to
choose one issue to champion for
where your home district is concerned, what would it be and why?
A very specific issue to the district
possibly impacting the local economy of New Gloucester and Poland is the future
removal of the Shaker Village turnpike signs. I will continue to support Shaker
Village and the local economy by submitting legislation to amend the new sign
policy passed during the last legislative session.
From a state-wide perspective, in your
opinion, what is the single most important issue that the governor and
legislature should be addressing?
Welfare Reform is what I hear about the
most from constituents. Most folks support a safety net for the most needy and
they want to be sure that the system is working efficiently.
Many polls indicate that voters are fed
up with partisan politics. Do you feel that there is a partisan polarization in
Augusta? If yes, how will you proceed
should you win election?
Out of the over a thousand bills that we
deal with in any given session, most of them are dealt with in a very
bipartisan manner and you don’t hear about that in the media. Controversy and
disagreement is what sells papers so that is what the public hears about and
remembers. Parties, like individuals, don’t always agree and good civil
discourse is key to trying to work together as much as possible. I have a
record of working with both parties to get bills passed.
In a follow-up conversation, we asked
Espling to define ‘most needy’ and to suggest some initiatives that have a decent chance of bipartisan success to
insure that only the ‘most needy’ are receiving assistance.
She responded, “I see children, the
elderly and the disabled; those who absolutely can’t provide for themselves as
the citizens most needy of assistance.” She offered two suggestions to address
some of the issues; “First off, reimbursement rates for homecare to the elderly
need to be increased in the hope that that population could stay in their
homes. This would allow home care agencies to improve and increase services.
Additionally, we need a tiered payment system for public assistance with a
training and employment assistance component in order to gradually wean people
off the system.” She feels that the system needs to provide incentive for
recipients to improve their situation rather than penalize them for making more
money.
Why should the voters in State Rep.
District 65 vote for you?
I am the most experienced candidate who
understands the district and listens to the people.
How can citizens contact you prior to
Election Day?
Anyone can email, call, or Facebook
message me. My email address is espling2@securespeed.us.
My cell is 891-8280 and you can like my Facebook page under “Ellie Espling”.
Challenger
Rosa Van Wie is 24 years old, and the daughter of David Van Wie and Cheryl
Bascomb and has one brother Garrett. She holds a B.A. in English from Dartmouth
College and is working as a camp counselor and substitute teacher. Her hobbies
include slam poetry, ice hockey, politics, civic engagement, singing and
teaching.
What inspired you to run for State Rep.
District 65?
I wanted to provide my students with
real resources to reach their fullest potential, both for themselves and
everyone in our community.
What skill set do you bring to the
table?
A dedication to research, reason,
education and compassion. The belief that hard work pays off and helping hands
makes the world go round; articulate arguments and the impassioned energy of
youth.
If you had to choose one issue to
champion for where your home district is concerned, what would it be and why?
More public funding for education. Like
many other school districts, our elementary schools are understaffed on education
technicians and we rely too heavily on bonds for improvements.
From a state-wide perspective, in your
opinion, what is the single most important issue that the governor and
legislature should be addressing?
Economic development. Raising the
minimum wage would put desperately needed dollars into the pockets of students
and young adults, allow them to pay their bills in full, and attain purchasing
power that would benefit small businesses.
Many polls indicate that voters are fed
up with partisan politics. Do you feel that there is a partisan polarization in
Augusta? If yes, how will you proceed
should you win election?
Yes, I do. If elected, I would tell it
like it is and debate what we need to do (and then act on it!) without buying
in to institutionalized games. Working with everyone should be the expectation
we set for society, and our government should reflect that.
Our follow-up questions focused on
education funding and minimum wage. Van Wie proposed two ways that education
funding could be increased; she feels that creating jobs in the clean energy
field will provide an increase in both corporate and personal income tax which
could be used to fund education, and she also suggests, ‘Taking a page from
Colorado’s book’ and legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. She
explained, “The taxes generated from the sale of marijuana could be used for
drug awareness education as well as general education funding.”
Regarding a minimum wage increase, Van
Wie cited studies by various economists that say the increase would allow
people to pay their bills and have extra income to support the local economy.
She explained, “Small business owners who otherwise might have difficulty
paying the minimum wage increase would ultimately benefit from the people with
more disposable income who would patronize those businesses goods and
services.” She proposes an immediate
increase to $10.10 per hour and a second increase within five years bringing
the hourly wage up to $12.50 per hour. She said, “A tiered minimum wage
increase like this will give businesses the chance to gradually work up to
providing a living wage.”
Why should the voters in State Rep.
District 65 vote for you?
Because I’m New Gloucester, born and
raised, and I want to be able to stay in my state. I have a deeply vested interest
in making Maine the best place possible for families and for the future.
How can citizens contact you prior to
Election Day?
Email me at rosa4rep105@gmail.com.
New
Gloucester Senate District 20 Candidates
Eric Brakey is 26 and single. He
holds a BFA in Theater, works in financial records for Brakey Energy and
performs in theater. His hobbies include acting with the Lewiston/Auburn
Community Little Theatre and volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of
Androscoggin County
What
inspired you to run for Senate District 20?
I
am concerned about the lack of job opportunity and the growing government debt
that is being placed on the shoulders of my generation. These
problems have been created over decades by the failed policies of career
politicians. I believe it is time to bring some new ideas to the table and turn
these problems around.
What
skill set do you bring to the table?
Working
in financial records, I have the unique skills to work through the budget—line
by line—to find and eliminate wasteful spending.
I have knocked on the doors of more than 5,000 families in our community,
listening to and understanding their concerns about where Maine state
government is going. You cannot represent people without knowing who they are
and what they are concerned about. I will always put the people of our
community above Augusta party politics.
If you had
to choose one issue to champion for where your home district is concerned, what
would it be and why?
Education. I believe in a localized
approach to education, empowering local parents, teachers and municipalities to
determine their own education policies.
From a
state-wide perspective, in your opinion, what is the single most important
issue that the governor and legislature should be addressing?
Welfare Reform. The longer we
allow welfare abuse to continue unchecked, draining the limited resources we
have available in these programs; we are doing a disservice to Maine taxpayers
and to those with legitimate needs for assistance. I will work to enact several
reforms, including residency requirements.
Many polls
indicate that voters are fed up with partisan politics. Do you feel that there
is a partisan polarization in Augusta? If yes, how will you proceed should you
win election?
John F. Kennedy once said, “Let us
not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.”
I believe this attitude has been lost in Augusta, and it is time we bring it back.
Regarding education, “Many of the
teachers I speak with raise concerns about the increasing micromanagement of
their profession brought about by top-down, one-size-fits all education
solutions like Common Core and No Child Left Behind. These changes have
hurt teachers’ abilities to work with students based on their own individual
learning needs. We must reverse this trend. I will work to repeal top-down,
unfunded mandates and restore local control in education.”
And
referring to partisan polarization, Brakey
emphasized, “Having a truly independent attitude is not just voting with the
other party on easy issues, but being willing to defy party leadership pressure
when you know that’s the right thing to do for the good of all the people you
represent.”
Why should
the voters in Senate District 20 vote for you?
I am running because I care about
the future of my state and more importantly, my community. If voters in
Senate District 20 are ready to move past the career politicians, and if they
want real solutions to reform our broken welfare system and restore local
control in education, then I am the candidate that will deliver results.
How can
citizens contact you prior to Election Day?
I can be reached by e-mail at eric@brakeyforsenate.com or by phone at
207-406-0897.
Senator
John J Cleveland is 64 years old, married with two adult sons. He’s a graduate
of Edward G. Little High School and USM with a BA in Biology. He is the 25-year
owner of an economic and community development consulting firm, and his hobbies
include reading, hiking sports and
family activities.
What inspired you to run for Senate District 20?
To help improve the lives of the
people of the Senate District by providing greater opportunities for quality
education from pre-K through post-secondary education, increasing job
opportunities, and providing greater access to health care for individuals and
their families.
What skill set do you bring to the table?
18 years combined state and
municipal public service experience; 25 years business experience;
leadership skills; integrity and
courage; knowledge of the legislative process; bipartisanship; lifelong
knowledge of the senate district.
If you had to
choose one issue to champion for
where your home district is concerned, what would it be and why?
Increasing the number of quality job
opportunities for the people of the senate district. Good jobs are the single
most important factor in providing individuals and families with the
opportunity for a middle class income to support their families and to build a
strong and vibrant local economy.
From a state-wide perspective, in
your opinion, what is the single most important issue that the governor and
legislature should be addressing?
There are several; among the most
important issues is the cost of energy. The State of Maine can and must provide
access to less expensive alternatives to heat our homes and businesses, lower
electricity bills, and transportation costs.
Many polls indicate that voters are
fed up with partisan politics. Do you feel that there is a partisan
polarization in Augusta? If yes, how
will you proceed should you win election?
Yes to some degree but not anywhere
as much as at the federal level. I will continue to do as I have always done,
work in a bipartisan way with all legislators, and the Governor, support good
ideas regardless of party, be respectful and support reasonable common sense
compromises that are in the best interest of the people of Maine.
Given Senator Cleveland’s
profession, we asked him to comment on economic development for New
Gloucester. “I think the upper village
development plan is headed in the right direction and that the folks in New
Gloucester are making good decisions for the local economy and the community,”
he commented. He also feels that there should be targeted assistance such as
start-up capital for new business, but that the criteria for assistance should
be more flexible and tailored to the specific needs of the individual business.
Additionally, he feels that there should be a focus on retaining the small
businesses already doing business in Maine by insuring that the have the
resources necessary to grow and prosper.
We asked the senator to cite an
example of his bipartisan work in Augusta and he was quick to share the Omnibus
Energy Bill to our attention. According
to Cleveland the bill, which he sponsored and helped to craft, was a broad
reaching piece of legislation with many facets. “Overall, the bill is designed
to lower energy costs through many different mechanisms,” he explained, “one
aspect increases the supply of natural gas to the state which will bring down
the price to consumers as well as reduce electric generation costs.” He also
noted that Efficiency Maine, at no cost to rate payers, received millions of
dollars to assist homeowners and businesses with winterization and other energy
saving projects. Cleveland reported that
the bill enjoyed unanimous support in the senate and an overwhelming bipartisan
majority in the house.
Why should the voters in Senate
District 20 vote for you?
I bring extensive experience both at
the local and state level of government, years of business and leadership
experience, I work in a bipartisan way, I was born and raised locally, my
commitment to work in the best interest of the people of the Senate District,
and my knowledge and understanding of the critical issues that face the people
of Maine.
How can citizens contact you prior
to Election Day?
Telephone (c) 777-1375; email; jcleveland@cdcorp.org
