To the Editor:

The past two years have been a legislative disaster in Maine, an embarrassment from the outset.

The Health and Human Services department has continued to lose track of its funds and clients through “computer error.” Then it tried to conceal the extent of its problems from the Legislature. But the Republican state representative for Harpswell, West Bath and Phippsburg did not protest nor investigate.

The Republican-controlled Legislature, with our representative’s help, cut taxes on Maine’s wealthiest and balanced the resulting budget on the backs of local taxpayers, cutting funds for property tax relief and assistance to the neediest.

When asked by local officials to explain, her letter was filled with boilerplate nonsense. I quote: “First, I would like for you to understand that no money will go into the cascade until the entire budget is passed, including revenue sharing amounts, GPA subsidy amounts, all program funding, costs to run our government, and any bills or bonds that require funding. . . . Then, and only then, any left-over revenues would be directed to the cascade. . . .” Etc.

The cascade?

Maine Municipal Association simplified: It “directly authorizes resources dedicated for property tax relief to be used not for their intended purpose but to instead buy-down the state’s income tax rates.”

I am disappointed in this and similar positions taken by our representative, including to cut Head Start for kids and to make voting more difficult for Maine citizens. So, I ask you to consider Jeremy Saxton, the Democratic candidate for this district.

Jeremy, born in Harpswell, is married with a young daughter. A small-business owner, he has faced challenges of meeting payrolls while modernizing and expanding his family’s restaurant and marina operations. Many of you have met him, more of you will soon. We do need change in Augusta to restore confidence in Maine government and to seriously meet the challenges ahead.

On attempts at weakening environmental protection, Saxton said, “We are the stewards of this special place, and I will support policies that protect it as a trust for our children and grandchildren.”

Jim Henderson
Harpswell