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10/09/2008

House 58

Name: William Browne

Age: 66

Political Party: Republican

Residence: Vassalboro

Employment: Retired high school science teacher, part-time farmer.

Education: Master's degree, University of Utah; bachelor's degree, University of Maine, Cony High School.

Political experience: Member of the 121st, 122nd and 123rd state Legislatures, Vassalboro Budget Committee 27 years, various other town committees.

Name: Patricia L. Karush

Age: 59

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Vassalboro

Employment: Professor at Thomas College

Education: Bachelor's degree in education, University of Maine, Orono; master's degree in business, Southern New Hamsphire University.

Political experience: None.

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

Karush: I am in favor of doing some sort of tax rebate for people who begin to use a form of alternative fuel. I think we need to look at more programs of that nature. We also need to look at income guidelines for people getting LIHEAP assistance. Given the extraordinary cost of heating fuel, we may have to revise some of those guidelines upward.

Browne: Until a state energy policy is established, the main help a legislator can offer constituents is presenting the different benefit programs available, such as LIHEAP, and the application forms and criteria for other town, church and federal assistance programs available.

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

Browne: The small towns in my district are working on an acceptable solution for the school consolidation directive. Augusta, as does all service center communities, has challenges with funding changes in their budgets due to increased costs and delayed or decreased reimbursement from the state and federal government. All communities are scrambling to prepare their citizens from the cold weather.

Karush: I think taxes are a major issue. I think everyone is deeply concerned about the state budget deficit. If we don't want to raise taxes, we have to look at cuts to services. The first way I'd try to do it would be to reduce waste. No one wants to cut services but everyone is deeply concerned about taxation.

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

Karush: Yes. I have a business background. I teach planning and marketing. I think it's absolutely essential this state begin to attract new business to offset some of that tax burden. We need to look at all that new green technology and do everything we can to lure companies in that business.

Browne: I think the best thing we can do for job and business security is promote a consistent tax and regulatory environment. We need to flat line spending. We need to use a common sense approach and a helpful manner in enforcing our many regulatory demands. We are all on the same side when it comes to securing our work force.

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

Browne: I believe, as it should, the beverage and insurance claims tax will be repealed.

Karush: I'm not happy we had to raise taxes. My take is the choice is between everybody paying a few cents more on a discretionary item, in order for us to have 18,000 families on Dirigo health. It's about taking care of each other. I think we're between a rock and a hard place.

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

Karush: No, I would not.

Browne: I like the Governor's proposal to reduce the income tax. It makes sense to me. I am not in favor of increasing or expanding the sales tax.

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

Browne: I think the expansion of the gaming casinos, the possible state tax reform proposals, animal welfare concerns are some of the issues we will be facing. If we, as legislators, don't change our tax-and-spend ways, there will be more referendums to force us to listen to our constituents.

Karush: Job creation. We're losing our best and brightest. They're leaving the state. We've got to create an economic infrastructure, so our students can have jobs. It's very, very, close between that and energy.

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