Tim Driscoll, the Democratic incumbent for House District 126, sees the upcoming term as a time to sharpen pencils in the state budget, as the country experiences an economic crisis.

Driscoll, 52, is an emergency room nurse at Mercy Hospital and has served as a state representative for the past two terms. Originally from Calais, he’s lived in Westbrook since 1990, with his wife Tina and their three daughters.

Driscoll said he thinks there is still work to be done on the school consolidation law in the upcoming term, based on the “push back” the law has received from rural communities and how it affects them. However, coming from a small town himself, Driscoll said he thinks those districts have a great opportunity to share services and programs.

Also, he said, he’s seen first-hand the economic depression in Washington County, which is why he supported a casino there. However, he said, the proposal for one in Oxford County seems “rushed” and not something he can fully get behind.

Working in an emergency room, Driscoll said, he sees the negative effects of smoking all the time, but believes that the Legislature was right in adding a beverage tax in order to fund Dirigo Health.

“How many times can we continue to go after the same people when we need increased revenue for a program?” he said about why he didn’t want additional taxes on cigarettes.

In general, he supports Dirigo Health because it’s insuring thousands of Mainers who otherwise wouldn’t be insured.

“This program isn’t perfect by any means,” he said about the fact that the program “hasn’t met its benchmarks, which is a concern.” However, Driscoll believes that pushing those who are covered by it into the private market isn’t the right solution.

A former vice chairman of the Westbrook School Committee, Driscoll said education – along with health care and infrastructure – are areas of the budget that are hard to look at for cuts, but will have to be prioritized in the coming term.

The cost of energy, too, will be a big concern this winter, and he is determined to ensure that “no one is left out in the cold.”