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| Republican Barbara Bagshaw is opposed for the Maine House District 106 seat in the November election by Democrat Dana Reed. SUBMITTED PHOTOS |
ELECTION 2022 CANDIDATE Q&A
(Unedited for grammar and spelling and exactly as answered and submitted by each candidate.)
Barbara Bagshaw
Republican, Maine House District 106 Occupation: I’ve been an educator/nanny for 25 years.
Previous Elected Experience: (Although not elected,) I was appointed to serve as President of an Arts non-profit for 10 years
Why are you running for this position and please be specific.
"I’m running because I’m concerned about the direction our state is taking. We need to rein in government spending, Government overreach and bring down taxes. I’ve put my life on hold to help bring change, to be part of the change that I want to see. I also want to be responsive the needs of people in my district. I absolutely oppose consecutive emergency powers that have literally lasted years."What’s the very first bill you will introduce if you are elected to serve in the Maine Legislature?
"I don’t have a particular bill to introduce, but would support bills supporting the platform I am running on."
Please share your thoughts about the parent’s rights movement in Maine education.
"I don’t really see it as a “parental rights movement”. Parental rights are just that. (parents are waking up to their rights being eroded, it’s very simple). Parents are the main stakeholders and their children lives and that needs to be respected and honored. Parents absolutely need to have a say in their children’s education."
What three things have you accomplished to benefit this community in the past three years?
"I grow a lot of food that I share with my friends and neighbors. I love and appreciate when I see other people doing the same, sharing with people in need. During these challenging economic times especially, we need to look out for each other. I donate my art work to help raise money for causes that I support. I also practice, on a regular basis, random acts of anonymous kindness and generosity to benefit others."
Would you support legislation to require dairies to test milk for PFAS contaminants before it is sold to Maine consumers and if so, why is this important to the residents of Windham?
"I think there needs to be a lot more research into PFAS. It’s very important that people are looking into PFAS. Much more of this essential research needs to be done. Farmers have already been hit hard. More regulations and fees will drive them out of bussiness, if they haven’t folded yet. If testing is required the cost should not be put-on the farmer. Keep in mind, it was the government who caused this problem by selling ‘cheap’ fertilizer only to find out years later it was toxic. The government must mitigate the problem and cover any cost."
What do you think you will do better or differently than the candidate running against you if elected?
"My original Democrat opponent dropped out a couple months ago and my current opponent jumped in. When I was asked to run for house last November, I took a couple of weeks to consider it. I knew that it would mean working tirelessly all year in this direction with no pay. The position is that important me and to our state. We are at a crossroads. The budget in Maine has gone up over $1 billion in the past few years under the current administration. It’s unsustainable. If we weren’t being propped up on federal funds, our state’s economy would be circling the drain. I am fiscally responsible. I have no debt, I’ve never never paid a penny of interest on a credit card. My house is paid for. When I needed a roof I saved the money and put a roof on. When I needed windows I saved the money and put the windows in upstairs. The next year I did the downstairs. I think the government needs to function more that way. If they don’t have the money don’t spend it. For example, we need to ease up on regulations for small business so that they can survive and thrive. We need to stop over taxing Mariners… They’re crying uncle just trying to make ends meet. I have been knocking on doors, almost daily, since January applying for this job. I’ve almost hit every door in my district. I’m committed. I don’t want a title, I don’t want to sit in the seat. I want to serve, I want to be boots-on-the-ground to be part of the change that I want to see."
What are the greatest economic, cultural, and social strengths of this community in your opinion, and how will you support those strengths if elected?
"Windham is made up of a core of people that have been in this community for generations. This core has resonated through Windham with the genuine desire to form a community with all the residents. The economic backbone of Windham is small business. Windham's community social and cultural strength lies largely in school sports and the arts, such as high-performing high school teams, and Windham Chamber Singers, respectively. We also gather at town recreational sports and facilities like the skate park and basketball courts to develop our youth, we have a robust community garden, and a positive relationship between our police officers and our community. We help those in need through a mix of public and private efforts including The Windham Food Pantry, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and PowerServe, to name a few. I will support small business and small business owners and continue to have a dialogue with them on how we can best serve and support them. I will also continue to support the cultural and social strentghs of Windham."
If elected, which legislative committees would you like to serve on?
"I would be interested in serving on education and cultural affairs, committee on taxation, and conservation and forestry."
What specific ideas and proposals do you have to alleviate Maine’s housing crisis?
"I think we need to take care of our own first. The housing crisis in Maine is affecting Windham residents and a lot of Mainers. I think we need to support Maine people and help them with housing before we take care of people who come into our country illegally. It’s untenable. There is a process in place which needs to be followed in order to come into our country. We cannot afford to absorb all these people pouring over our border and we know nothing about them. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to 24 countries as an international speaker and relief worker. I am compassionate, kind and I love all people."
Democrat, Maine House District 106
Occupation: US Navy, Captain (O-6) Retired, Ordained Minister, United Church of Christ
Previous Elected Experience: None
Why are you running for this position and please be specific:
"I have lived a life of service to several communities throughout Maine as a public school teacher, pastor, and Navy chaplain in many locations across our country and the world. My life has always been about service to others and how I can help improve our human condition and the communities we live in. Throughout my Navy career, I constantly embraced the challenges each new position would present. I have thoroughly enjoyed my service to others at home and abroad. When I learned that Representative Mark Bryant was unable to run for another term, I knew it was my turn to run. I am excited about the possibility of serving this community I love in a new way."
What’s the very first bill you will introduce if you are elected to serve in the Maine Legislature?
"Over months of having one-on-one conversations with my neighbors, consistently three items were brought up: if they can afford their home, if our democracy will survive for their kids and grandkids, and how hard it is to get the healthcare they need. I’ve heard from several people undergoing cancer treatments costing $4,000 or more who were denied by their insurance company. I’ve sat at peoples’ kitchen tables and seen on paper how they were dragged through the process of denial in a very de-humanizing manner. My first bill? I would seek to craft legislation that ensures all Mainers get first-rate health care that they can afford."
Please share your thoughts about the parent’s rights movement in Maine education.
"I began my professional life after college as a certified, K-12, music educator in Maine public schools. Both of my parents were teachers in Maine public schools, with my father having served on his local steering committee. I married into a family of proud public school educators. In the following years of service to several communities as a pastor, I kept myself involved by volunteering and remaining active in promoting the local public schools. In all of those communities to this present day in the RSU#14 Windham-Raymond school, I unequivocally support the work of not only the district’s administrators, teacher, staff and students, but the school boards and the tireless work and service they provide to educate and keep our schools safe. Parents play an important role in our schools, and that role is already well-crafted, supported, and protected by existing law. School boards, administration, as well as Parent Teacher groups, have served us well."
What are the three things you have accomplished to benefit this community in the past three years?
"In my retirement I’ve enjoyed teaching music classes every semester through Windham-Raymond Adult Ed. Over the last six years, I’ve taught a ukulele course both fall and spring semester to classes of nearly two dozen or more students in each course. As a spin-off of my ukulele classes, I’ve led a monthly jam session at Pat’s Pizza where we’d play through a dozen or more songs. Each month when we met, I asked people to contribute canned and non-perishable goods to the Windham Food Pantry. We were recognized by the town for having contributed over 3,000 pounds of food, including often neglected pet foods and much-needed toilet paper. Since retiring I also served as the chaplain to Windham Post 148 of the American Legion chapter in Windham for several years. Prior to retiring I provided pastoral services to the Public Safety Department, serving as their go-to clergy person for crisis calls, staff support, and memorials and helped found 'Be The Influence,' a youth drug awareness and prevention program and participated in two of RSU 14’s long-range planning."
What’s the very first bill you will introduce if you are elected to serve in the Maine Legislature?
"Over months of having one-on-one conversations with my neighbors, consistently three items were brought up: if they can afford their home, if our democracy will survive for their kids and grandkids, and how hard it is to get the healthcare they need. I’ve heard from several people undergoing cancer treatments costing $4,000 or more who were denied by their insurance company. I’ve sat at peoples’ kitchen tables and seen on paper how they were dragged through the process of denial in a very de-humanizing manner. My first bill? I would seek to craft legislation that ensures all Mainers get first-rate health care that they can afford."
Please share your thoughts about the parent’s rights movement in Maine education.
"I began my professional life after college as a certified, K-12, music educator in Maine public schools. Both of my parents were teachers in Maine public schools, with my father having served on his local steering committee. I married into a family of proud public school educators. In the following years of service to several communities as a pastor, I kept myself involved by volunteering and remaining active in promoting the local public schools. In all of those communities to this present day in the RSU#14 Windham-Raymond school, I unequivocally support the work of not only the district’s administrators, teacher, staff and students, but the school boards and the tireless work and service they provide to educate and keep our schools safe. Parents play an important role in our schools, and that role is already well-crafted, supported, and protected by existing law. School boards, administration, as well as Parent Teacher groups, have served us well."
What are the three things you have accomplished to benefit this community in the past three years?
"In my retirement I’ve enjoyed teaching music classes every semester through Windham-Raymond Adult Ed. Over the last six years, I’ve taught a ukulele course both fall and spring semester to classes of nearly two dozen or more students in each course. As a spin-off of my ukulele classes, I’ve led a monthly jam session at Pat’s Pizza where we’d play through a dozen or more songs. Each month when we met, I asked people to contribute canned and non-perishable goods to the Windham Food Pantry. We were recognized by the town for having contributed over 3,000 pounds of food, including often neglected pet foods and much-needed toilet paper. Since retiring I also served as the chaplain to Windham Post 148 of the American Legion chapter in Windham for several years. Prior to retiring I provided pastoral services to the Public Safety Department, serving as their go-to clergy person for crisis calls, staff support, and memorials and helped found 'Be The Influence,' a youth drug awareness and prevention program and participated in two of RSU 14’s long-range planning."
Would you support legislation to require dairies to test milk for PFAS contaminants before it is sold to Maine consumers and if so, why is this important to the residents of Windham?
"Locally, Oakhurst Dairy of Portland requires its dairies to test for PFAS. Maine is already leading the nation in setting standards for PFAS levels in milk, and in testing that we’re already doing. As a state, we owe it to local dairy farmers, and farmers in general, to remediate the harm PFAS contamination has caused to them and to consumers."
What do you think you will do better or differently than the candidate running against you if elected?
"On every Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard deployment - teamwork was emphasized and re-emphasized and impressed upon us again: When you’re out in the middle of the ocean, you have to work together or the ship will go down. Over the course of my career I learned how to work with the people around me no matter who that person is, what their opinions are, and most importantly, how dire the situation was that we faced. We are facing some big challenges as a country, a state, and a town. During my deployments, I worked in settings across the world where challenges seemed insurmountable at first glance. But, with teamwork we were able to accomplish our goals. My ability to lead and work as a team were recognized by then Lieutenant General James Mattis (later Secretary of Defense), and Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard. That ability to work alongside the people around me is what I want to bring to Augusta for the people of Windham. I’ll work with residents to understand the issues they’re facing. I’ll work with other legislators to keep Maine a leader in our country, and Windham a leader in Maine."
What are the greatest economic, cultural, and social strength of this community in your opinion, and how will you support those strengths if elected?
"I served the North Windham Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ for thirteen years, from 2000 to 2013. In that amount of time, I married over 300 couples and laid to rest over 300 people. Besides attending to the pastoral and spiritual needs of the congregation, the North Windham Union Church’s central location led to counseling hundreds of community members over the years. Being called to this type of life is never easy, but I’ve always counted it a blessing for what people have shared about their lives and the town we all live in. This town is inhabited by hard-working people proud of their past who take great pride in what they do (and play-hard when the opportunity arises!). The richness of Windham’s history and culture is evidenced in its longevity as a town, predating constitutional America, to its embrace of the gifts and diversity of those seeking the American way of life from around the world. Combine that all with a first-rate school system and you have a formula for economic growth coupled with cultural and social opportunities to spare. We were recently ranked the number 5 zip code in the nation for retail home sales. It's no secret that people want to live, work, and play here. I would see my main legislative focus as supporting small businesses at the state level to thrive, making sure that government agencies serve and promote the local business interests. I would seek to ensure the natural beauty and recreational resources that have attracted hundreds of individuals and families to make this location their home. As I have demonstrated throughout my professional life, our schools would continue to be a source of pride as they continue to produce students whose vocational aspirations fill the local and state workforce with the highest quality technical and professional workers."
"Locally, Oakhurst Dairy of Portland requires its dairies to test for PFAS. Maine is already leading the nation in setting standards for PFAS levels in milk, and in testing that we’re already doing. As a state, we owe it to local dairy farmers, and farmers in general, to remediate the harm PFAS contamination has caused to them and to consumers."
What do you think you will do better or differently than the candidate running against you if elected?
"On every Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard deployment - teamwork was emphasized and re-emphasized and impressed upon us again: When you’re out in the middle of the ocean, you have to work together or the ship will go down. Over the course of my career I learned how to work with the people around me no matter who that person is, what their opinions are, and most importantly, how dire the situation was that we faced. We are facing some big challenges as a country, a state, and a town. During my deployments, I worked in settings across the world where challenges seemed insurmountable at first glance. But, with teamwork we were able to accomplish our goals. My ability to lead and work as a team were recognized by then Lieutenant General James Mattis (later Secretary of Defense), and Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard. That ability to work alongside the people around me is what I want to bring to Augusta for the people of Windham. I’ll work with residents to understand the issues they’re facing. I’ll work with other legislators to keep Maine a leader in our country, and Windham a leader in Maine."
What are the greatest economic, cultural, and social strength of this community in your opinion, and how will you support those strengths if elected?
"I served the North Windham Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ for thirteen years, from 2000 to 2013. In that amount of time, I married over 300 couples and laid to rest over 300 people. Besides attending to the pastoral and spiritual needs of the congregation, the North Windham Union Church’s central location led to counseling hundreds of community members over the years. Being called to this type of life is never easy, but I’ve always counted it a blessing for what people have shared about their lives and the town we all live in. This town is inhabited by hard-working people proud of their past who take great pride in what they do (and play-hard when the opportunity arises!). The richness of Windham’s history and culture is evidenced in its longevity as a town, predating constitutional America, to its embrace of the gifts and diversity of those seeking the American way of life from around the world. Combine that all with a first-rate school system and you have a formula for economic growth coupled with cultural and social opportunities to spare. We were recently ranked the number 5 zip code in the nation for retail home sales. It's no secret that people want to live, work, and play here. I would see my main legislative focus as supporting small businesses at the state level to thrive, making sure that government agencies serve and promote the local business interests. I would seek to ensure the natural beauty and recreational resources that have attracted hundreds of individuals and families to make this location their home. As I have demonstrated throughout my professional life, our schools would continue to be a source of pride as they continue to produce students whose vocational aspirations fill the local and state workforce with the highest quality technical and professional workers."
If elected, which legislative committee would you like to serve on?
"Veterans and Legal Affairs."
What specific ideas and proposals do you have to alleviate Maine’s housing crisis?
"Most states haven’t kept their housing supply up to meet demand. Much of the problem can be attributed to a shift in federal tax policy over the past twenty or so years. For years federal tax policy favored higher income home buyers. While we can’t reform federal policies from Augusta, we can work to support lower income individuals and families as they seek housing. For example, we could pursue policies that would shift mortgage interest deductions, which favor higher income buyers, to allowing a portion of those deductions to become direct cash, which helps working families. We need to make sure state and federal programs are aimed at first-time homeownership so working people can compete in the current market. That would help more Maine people buy homes, so all Maine’s properties aren’t owned by out of state investment companies. Housing affordability shouldn’t have to come before our need for healthy, active farmlands. Agricultural land matters in Maine, and we need to recognize this in all housing policies we support."
"Veterans and Legal Affairs."
What specific ideas and proposals do you have to alleviate Maine’s housing crisis?
"Most states haven’t kept their housing supply up to meet demand. Much of the problem can be attributed to a shift in federal tax policy over the past twenty or so years. For years federal tax policy favored higher income home buyers. While we can’t reform federal policies from Augusta, we can work to support lower income individuals and families as they seek housing. For example, we could pursue policies that would shift mortgage interest deductions, which favor higher income buyers, to allowing a portion of those deductions to become direct cash, which helps working families. We need to make sure state and federal programs are aimed at first-time homeownership so working people can compete in the current market. That would help more Maine people buy homes, so all Maine’s properties aren’t owned by out of state investment companies. Housing affordability shouldn’t have to come before our need for healthy, active farmlands. Agricultural land matters in Maine, and we need to recognize this in all housing policies we support."
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