In about two weeks, voters in Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and South Portland will go to the polls and make some important decisions, selecting town councilors, legislators, a governor and deciding the fate of a ballot initiative that could have a big effect on government and taxation in this state.

Maine’s at a critical point. It has all of the strengths it’s always had – a beautiful environment, hard working people, great local school systems and an overall quality of life that can’t be found in many other states. The people who live here love this state and genuinely care about its future.

However, Maine leaders have some serious challenges ahead of them – leading with the tax burden. It’s no accident that voters have been presented, year after year, with ballot initiatives that would reduce taxes or spending in this state. Maine has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. People pay too much in property taxes, and just about everyone pays the top income tax rate of 8.5 percent.

The cost of health care in this state is high and getting higher every year. Many employers can barely afford to provide it for their employees, and many of their employees can barely afford to provide it for their families. The cost of health insurance, coupled with the tax burden, makes it difficult for people to run businesses and make a living here.

While it’s important to recognize the state has made some strides toward easing the tax burden by repealing the business equipment tax and increasing the amount of money going to local school districts, it hasn’t gone nearly far enough. And, Dirigo Health has done very little to reduce the cost of health insurance, or insure the uninsured.

To help voters choose leaders who will best be able to guide the state through these challenges, this issue of The American Journal is filled with profiles of candidates running for offices, and on this page we will endorse candidates, this week and next, who we believe to be good choices.

In House District 125, our endorsement goes to Republican Lyle Cramer, whose experience as a small business owner has made him feel as though he is being “taxed to death.” A retired high-school guidance counselor, Cramer runs a small blueberry farm and rents out a cottage on a lake, something the state started taxing a couple years ago.

Cramer is a hard worker, who has volunteered his time with many local organizations. He works quietly, but he’s quite sure of the direction he wants to take the state. A longtime Westbrook resident, Cramer served six years on the city council. He’s run for the Legislature twice unsuccessfully. It’s time he got an opportunity to show Westbrook what he can do in the State House.

In House District 126, our endorsement goes to Republican Tatia Munday, a young woman who is quite confident in her ability to be a leader in the State House. At 28 years old, Munday would be a rookie legislator, and a young one at that. However, she argues – and we agree – that that is a perspective Augusta could use a little more of. Munday said she would work to reduce the tax burden in the state and lure high-tech jobs to keep young people here. She would also use tax incentives to attract businesses and jobs to the state.

In House District 129, our endorsement goes to Democrat Christopher Barstow, an incumbent who has proven young legislators can make a difference in Augusta. Barstow works hard to keep in touch with voters in Gorham. What we like most about him, however, has been his work on regionalization. Barstow, who serves on the Joint Committee for State and Local Government, has worked to find ways to make it easier for cities and towns to share and consolidate services, including school administrators. One project he worked on was a garage at the Maine Correction Center where prisoners now service town vehicles from Windham and Gorham.

In Senate District 6, our decision was easy, because Republican Jane Willett said she didn’t have time to be interviewed. Luckily, voters have a great candidate who has plenty of time for them, incumbent Democrat Phil Bartlett. A graduate of Harvard Law, Bartlett is an educated, articulate voice that has been representing the communities he represents well in Augusta for one term and deserves another. He would like to continue working on tax reform, specifically, relying less on the property tax and more on income tax. He would also like to adjust the income tax brackets – something long overdue – to make them more fair.

In Senate District 9, our endorsement goes to Republican David Fernald, who is planning to take his background in business to Augusta. Fernald, who has an MBA from Stanford, worked in the computer and software development industry for 30 years. Gov. John Baldacci appointed him to be president of the Maine Technology Institute, which has played a key role in developing small and entrepreneurial technology companies in the state. Fernald understands technology, and he is the type of leader this state needs to bring high-tech jobs to Maine.

In next week’s paper, we’ll have more political profiles and our endorsements in the races for the House District 130 and 131 and two seats on the Gorham Town Council. As always, whether you agree with us or not, we encourage residents to get out and vote on Election Day.

Brendan Moran, editor