West Gardiner, Farmingdale and Hallowell voters have a clear choice between candidates for the state House of Representatives.

Sharon Treat, the Democratic incumbent in District 79 and a long-time legislator, is being challenged by political newcomer, Charles Jacques, a registered Republican who also describes himself as a Libertarian.

Jacques is smart and articulate, but his political positions are black and white. In an interview with this newspaper's editorial board, he said lawmakers should "privatize the MTA," or Maine Turnpike Authority, as a way to cut state spending. What's wrong with Maine's economy? "The manufacturing base is leaving the state because of too much regulation," Jacques asserts.

While those are phrases that sound tough, they reflect an alarmingly simple view of a complex situation. Maine's economic challenges are in part the result of excessive government spending as well as high taxes. But our state economy also exists in a context of national and global competition, and an understanding of the range of challenges that face the state is a prerequisite for effective governing.

Treat gets the complexities.

She's a veteran Democratic politician, which means that she's associated with both the good and the bad that's come out of a Statehouse dominated by her party for years.

But she's been returned by voters to the Legislature because she has a subtle and powerful intellect, she's mastered the ins-and-outs of public policy and she's clearly passionate about being a lawmaker. Even if you don't like her positions, she's darned clear about why she takes them and how she believes they'll work.

Treat wants to solve problems and for each problem, she's got a fleshed-out theoretical framework for how to approach it.

The Kennebec Journal endorses Sharon Treat for re-election to the House of Representatives, where we hope she'll apply her considerable intelligence and commitment to not only pressing for the programs she's long been interested in, but also for tax reduction and reduced state spending.