PORTLAND — Former Cumberland County Sheriff and incumbent Rep. Mark Dion, D-Portland, retained his House District 113 seat Tuesday night with a win over newcomer Jeff Langholtz, R-Portland.

Dion credited his accessibility for his 2,661 to 1,414 victory over Langholtz in the district that includes parts of Portland and Falmouth.

“I’ve tried to be open to the residents of Falmouth and Portland,” Dion said. “My home has been open to them whether they have come to see me, called me at home or approached me when I’m out doing things in the community; I’ve been accessible.”

Dion, who previously served three terms as sheriff and is a partner in the law firm of Berry & Dion, said his voting record proves he works for what is in the best interest of his constituents.

He said he has big plans for his second term in office.

“I want to work on an energy plan that makes sense and drives costs down, and I’d like to address business development to see if we can encourage more growth with a regional view,” Dion said.

In order to accomplish his goals, he said work must begin to make the state’s tax structure more fair and easily understandable for residents.

“The average person cannot anticipate how the tax rate will treat them and there needs to be predictability,” he said.

After serving on the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and the House Ethics Committee, Dion said he hopes to land on a committee where he can work toward his goals of reducing energy costs and fix taxes.

Langholtz, a self-employed attorney and newcomer to the Maine political arena, could not be reached for comment.

Amber Cronin can be reached at acronin@theforecaster.net or 781-3661 ext. 125. Follow her on Twitter @croninamber.

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