Bettyann W. Sheats

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 64
Age: 55
Occupation: Owner, Finishing Touches Shower Doors
Education: Graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point
Family: Married to George for 28 years
Hometown: Auburn

Political experience

I have never held office, but I became politically active after I learned there were toxic chemicals in the charms my daughter and I used to make bracelets. I worked with the public and legislators to help pass the Kid’s Safe Products Act, which recently banned BPA from baby bottles and other children’s products. I have also learned how to work across party lines with legislators to address an issue that effects Maine families.

Why are you running for office?

For my children. I hope they and their peers will find work that is rewarding (both personally and financially) here in Maine. I believe we can create more opportunities for our youth here in the state our family loves by focusing on growing our small businesses, which have good growth potential, especially in high tech, to attract and retain our youth.

• Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
  • No

    The concern I hear in Auburn and Minot is high property tax. There is no way to eliminate income tax without increases in property or sales taxes, or without massive cuts to services, including prescriptions for elderly, mental healthcare and drug treatment, law enforcement… Cuts are not reforms.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • Other

    I do not support unnecessary burdens on gun owners who loan or “transfer” their guns. I do support closing the loop holes on private sales. In addition to allowing guns to be purchased without proper concern, these sales are unfair competition for reputable guns dealers who have to perform the checks. I do not see a need for checks within a family.

• Minimum Wage: In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
  • Other

    As a small business owner, I don’t need tax breaks, I need more customers. To rebuild our economy, we need to rebuild our middle class. We can do that by raising the lowest wages which puts upward pressure on middle wages as well. Those higher wages turn into higher spending at local businesses. And reports show most small business already pay over the minimum wage.

    The referendum would raise the minimum wage slowly so there is less negative impact on businesses’ expenses while they receive the benefit of higher sales/incomes. The people who actually make the goods, make the coffee, and make the sale, deserve a living wage when companies are making record profits because of the work these low wage earners do.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • Other

    I have serious concerns about supporting marijuana legalization. I fully support decriminalizing it, no one should go to jail for possessing it. But for employers, educators, landlords, law enforcement and the courts as well as the medical community, I feel further research and development of this idea is needed before recreational use of marijuana should be accepted.

• Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?

  • I do not believe in throwing money at a problem, but money is a necessary tool and resource. Maine has good programs in place, but lacks the resources, funding, to implement them fast enough to keep up with this epidemic. We need to invest in: Treatment- lower cost and more effective than jail.

    Prevention- education and better control of opiate prescriptions and pain management.

    Enforcement- police involvement to stop the flow of heroin.

    We must have all three. No one step will solve the problem alone.

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