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Staff reports 10/13/2008

Name: Les Fossel
Age: 61
Party: Republican
Residence: Alna
Employment: Restoration Resources (owner – contractor specializing in historic preservation)
Education: BA, Sociology, 1969, Lake Forest College
Political experience: Alna School Board, Union 48 School Board, Commission for Maine’s Future, State Fire Prevention Board, Alna Selectman, Lincoln County Budget Committee, Alna Welfare Director, Lincoln County Cable Consortium, Capitol Planning Commission, chairman of the Committee for Alna History

Name: Tim Nason
Age: 56
Political Party: Democratic
Residence: Dresden
Employment: self-employed graphic designer
Education: B.A. and M.F.A. from Vermont College; M.A. (in progress) from University of Southern Maine's American and New England Studies program.
Political experience: This is my first run for elected office.




1. What can you, as a state legislator, do to help people struggling this year with the high cost of gas and oil?

Nason: We need to increase federal funding of the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, and make the program accessible to more residents. I would favor a gasoline expense rebate for low-income workers who must drive to work. Incentives for car pooling should be introduced. Energy conservation saves money, so we should support statewide weatherization efforts and energy conservation programs for homeowners. I would encourage an immediate statewide public dialog at the town or county level to come up with solutions to Maine's energy problems.

Fossel: As a business, we are mailing an energy savings guide to 10,000-plus area residents . As a legislator I can do nothing until I am elected and the legislature is in session. What I support will depend on the size and nature of the problem. Since the cost of oil has declined substantially from its summer high, we probably won’t know what we face until after the November election.

2. How would you handle the biggest issues facing the towns in your district?

Fossel: I try to handle issues carefully, with input from all available viewpoints. I’m interested in solving problems, not taking sides.

Nason: Each town is unique and faces different issues. By the same token, each town presents a range of different opportunities to its residents and the state as a whole. My job as a legislator should include keeping track of how state policies and programs affect local interests in the areas of transportation, infrastructure, education, job creation, environmental protection, development, and public safety. I can communicate frequently with town government and citizens’ organizations.

3. Do you have any plans that would result in more jobs for Maine?

Nason: I support current efforts to bring new, 21st-century businesses to Maine while supporting our traditional, natural resource industries. Tax breaks for business expansion is not the only key to this. The state could be much more aggressive in recruiting out of state and international businesses to Maine, and invite increased international tourism. When we think about job creation, we should think about ways to increase opportunities at these places: schools and colleges; natural resource industries, new technologies, manufacturing, public administration, the media, non-profit organizations, medical services, tourism-related businesses, housing construction and infrastructure maintenance, along with crafts and other aspects of the creative economy.

Fossel: I support reducing taxes and easing regulatory barriers to promote job growth.

4. What do you think of the beverage-tax repeal on the November ballot?

Fossel: It is a tax on both beverages and medical claims. I support repeal.

Nason: The repeal effort is industry-based, and seeks to capitalize on a vocal state- and nation-wide effort to reduce government services by eliminating taxes. The Dirigo program was intended to lower medical and health insurance costs in the state, but is too small and underfunded to do this effectively. The ultimate solution is a national, health care insurance system.

5. Would you support legislation to change the income tax or sales tax?

Nason: Taxes affect different economic groups, age brackets, employers and small business owners in different ways, so I would study the impact of current tax policies within my district before exploring any changes. I favor an income tax where lowest-income residents pay no tax at all, and a where lowest-income residents receive sales tax rebate.

Fossel: Our tax burden is too high. I would consider reforming the income or sales tax if it would result in a lower, fairer, and economically less disruptive system.

6. What’s the biggest social issue facing the state in the next two years?

Fossel: I don’t know what the future will bring. I am leery of the power of law to effect social issues.

Nason: The biggest social issue will be the impact of immigration and new cultures on local communities, potentially expressed through fear of new residents with different family arrangements, religions, or cultural values. Maine people are amazingly adaptable, tolerant, and even welcoming of changing times. Learning to celebrate Maine’s new diversity may take some time and present a few challenges along the way.

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