Maine State Senate District 25
Cathy Breen and Cathy Manchester are seeking the District 25 Senate
seat. Breen is from Falmouth and Manchester is from Gray. Each has served on
their local town council, and both
have significant others named Jay.
Cathy Breen is 48 years old,
married to Jay Geller and has two
teenaged children. She holds a B.A. in history
and political science from Tufts, a Maters of Education from the University of
Illinois, and has completed a 15 day intensive
training at the Institute for Civic Leadership in Portland. She is an active
community volunteer and enjoys reading, biking and gardening.
What inspired you to run for
Senate District 25?
My inspiration for running for
Maine State Senate District 25 comes from my six years on the Falmouth Town
Council. I want to bring the same
values and skills reflected in my record in that arena: support for high
quality education, lower property taxes, collaboration to
contain costs of services, encourage land conservation programs in Maine, increase
transparency and citizen access to
public information, and regional transportation planning.
What skill set do you bring to
the table?
During my six years on the
Falmouth Town Council, my listening skills enabled me to
understand the needs of taxpayers and translate their values and expectations
into action, developing budgets and
enacting legislation that reflected their priorities and concerns. As a result, Falmouth enjoys some of the
highest quality schools, roads, services, trails, and commercial areas in the
region – all at one of the lowest property tax rates in Greater Portland.
If you had to choose one
issue to champion for where your
home district is concerned, what would it be and why?
High quality public education
is a huge priority in this senate district.
But local property tax payers have been asked to
shoulder more and more of the costs of their schools. I will advocate for the State of Maine to meet the demand of the 2004 citizens’ referendum to fund 55 percent of state aid to education across the state. If the state meets its education obligations,
this will give some relief to local
property tax payers.
From a statewide perspective, in your opinion, what is the single most
important issue that the governor and legislature should be addressing?
The single most important issue
facing the governor and legislature is helping to
improve Maine’s economy. The governor
and legislature should work together
to set the stage for economic
growth: Raise the minimum wage, develop renewable energy, expand health care
coverage to every Mainer eligible
under the Affordable Care Act and increase opportunities for Maine students to get the post-secondary education whether that’s a
trade certificate or a college degree.
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?
This senate district has a
roughly equal mix of Democrat, Republican and Independent voters. If I win this election, I will make myself
available to all residents and do my
utmost to find common ground among
my constituents. In addition, I will
work to develop practical, common
sense solutions to Maine’s
challenges with any other willing legislator(s).
When we chatted, Cathy
discussed how to reach 55 percent
state funding to local school
districts noting that education is a huge priority both in her district and
state wide, commenting, “We’ll need to
take a good look at the state budget and make some difficult choices.” We also
discussed the ‘brain drain’ and how to
keep college graduates in the state. Breen suggested, “One solution is to make education more affordable so kids don’t
finish with huge debt forcing them to
seek higher pay.” She also noted, “I think part of the American ethos is for
some kids to go and find their
future elsewhere. And while some may choose to
do that, I don’t want any Maine graduate to
feel forced to due to college debt.”
Breen shared her vision of
how the state could partner with the private sector
to develop renewable energy in the
state, “I envision that when a company is interested in developing in Maine,
that the state would work with the company to
assess its needs and assist with incentives, technical resources, and as a
conduit to potential investors.”
Why should the voters in Senate District 25 vote for you?
I have a record of working with
taxpayers who expect high quality and efficient services, schools and
infrastructure at the lowest possible price.
I have a record of bringing together
people of different perspectives and developing common sense solutions.
How can citizens contact you prior to
Election Day?
Citizens can visit my campaign
website at www.cathybreenforstatesenate.com. They can call me at 207-329-6142. They can email me through the website or at
cathybreen@me.com.
Cathy Manchester is 54 years old, a lifelong resident of
Maine and resides in Gray with her partner Jay Wilkins. Cathy and Jay share
five children and six grandchildren. She has a B.S. in technical education from
USM, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico Virginia and was
honored to be the valedictorian of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. After
15 years in law enforcement, Manchester began a career in real estate and is
the owner of Keller Williams Realty in Gray. Cathy enjoys being with family and
numerous activities, “…anything active and outside!” She has coached softball,
basketball, and skiing, and is a past champion in auto
racing at Oxford Plains.
What inspired you to run for
Senate District 25?
Our government needs average,
working citizens to be involved, as
opposed to career politicians. I can make a difference. Our government officials must remember it is
the taxpayers money they are spending, and prioritize accordingly.
What skill set do you bring to
the table?
Whether
in law enforcement, coaching athletes or running a successful business, I have
learned to understand the value of
listening, doing my homework and setting priorities. That’s what voters should
expect from the entire legislature.
If you had to choose one
issue to champion for where your
home district is concerned, what would it be and why?
Caring
for our aging citizens is our single greatest challenge. If we don’t find new
ways to support and care for our
aging population, our children will be burdened with those costs and never
enjoy the standard of living we currently have in this country.
From a state-wide perspective, in your opinion, what is the single most
important issue that the governor and legislature should be addressing?
We
need to encourage young people to stay here, or to
come here and raise a family. That will happen if we encourage job growth and
minimize our cost of living, which includes bringing Maine taxes closer to the national average.
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?
As a
former police chief, I’ve learned communication solves tough
problems. As a real estate broker I
negotiate effectively every day. I will
bring those skills to Augusta and
set the expectation that we all must work together.
Regarding the improvement
of service to seniors, and the funds
to do it, Manchester suggested that
the money would come from, “…tightening our belts and from assessing other
areas where there may be wasteful spending.” She also feels that working more
closely with elder care workers to
assess needs is important and that there is a need to
minimize the loss of beds in care facilities. She emphasized, “I am not a proponent of raising taxes, we need to better utilize the funds we have. Taking tax dollars from citizens will not
help grow our economy.”
We asked how to minimize the cost of living while promoting job
growth; “We need to be proactive in
keeping businesses in Maine by improving the workforce, imposing fewer
regulations,” she said. “And we need to
carefully consider the negative economic impact on businesses where raising
income tax and the minimum wage are concerned.”
Regarding partisan polarization
in Augusta, Manchester plans to lead
by example to show how cooperation
will help achieve the common goal, noting, “In my profession, I have spent 30
years encouraging people to find
common ground; it will be no different in Augusta.”
Why should the voters in Senate District 25 vote for you?
I’m
the candidate most like them. I’ve worked my entire life. I don’t carry someone
else’s agenda and I’m careful about other people’s money. That’s the core
difference – I understand that it’s the taxpayer’s hard-earned money, not the government’s.
How can citizens contact you prior to
Election Day?
The best way to reach me is cathym@maine.rr.com. My cell phone is
653-0601.
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