Dave Miramant, Democrat

Dave Miramant

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 12
Age: 61
Occupation: Pilot
Education: University of Maine Farmington BA
Family: Married to Dee Webster 36 years. Grown children Ashley Ridley and Josh Miramant

Hometown: Camden

Political experience

Maine Aeronautical Advisory Board
Camden Selectboard
Camden Personnel Committee
Maine House of Representatives
Maines Senate

Why are you running for office?

As part of a military family, I moved often, finally settling in Maine as soon as I finished high school. During high school I was involved in rallies that brought awareness to issues facing society such as our environment, natural resources and social justice. I studied these issues further at the University of Maine at Farmington and achieved my B.A. in Biology. During my career as an airline pilot, I spent the time during my travels around the world understanding the common problems of humanity, developing solutions for them, and finding ways to implement them. I had the chance to practice my ability to listen and incorporate a wide variety of perspectives. In my work for social change, I became a founding board member of Maine Coast Men. This organization formed to help men collectively overcome unhealthy societal messages. In 2000, was elected to the Selectboard in my hometown of Camden, the Maine House in 2006 and the Maine Senate in 2014. In these positions, I was able to use the leadership skills I developed in business, as a captain for Delta Air Lines, as a boat delivery captain and in my nonprofit work.

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?
- Other
  I support comprehensive reform of our tax policies. It would be easy to say yes to moving the cost of state services onto the income tax because it is more progressive and fair, unfortunately, when we continue to shift the tax burden without considering the unintended consequences, we don’t resolve the issues we set out to fix. A comprehensive overhaul would look at services that can be shared by our tourists, adjust the Homestead Exemption and Circuit Breaker programs to make property taxes fair to residents, and reduce the burden that is carried by residents to pay for an infrastructure that has to include millions of visitors who are not paying their fair share.
  
  The Governor wants to take money from hard working Mainers to give away to his wealthy friends. Any measures we take to fix taxation have to help the middle class get back on their feet.
Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
- Yes
  In Maine, we have a long history of respecting gun rights and a strong hunting tradition. I have no interest in taking guns away from law-abiding citizens or creating any unnecessary burdens on them.
  
  However, I also know it’s far too easy for criminals from out of state who cannot obtain guns where they live to come to Maine and buy one through Craigslist or Uncle Henry’s — no questions asked. I also know that a quarter of homicides in Maine come from domestic gun violence. I support the referendum because if a simple background check can prevent even one of those homicides, or keep a gun out of the hands of a criminal, it’s worth it.
  
  That said, this is by no means a perfect referendum. If it passes, the Legislature will immediately need to iron out the kinks to ensure families and friends can continue to hunt or target shoot together without hassle.
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?
- Yes
  This is a great start at bringing minimum wage earners into the economy. As the cost of everything has risen, less jobs have moved past the minimum wage and folks working 40 hours are eligible for state aid. Also, by eliminating the tipped minimum, workers will get fair pay when business is slow but workers have to work anyway. It is a great referendum and ultimately ties the minimum wage to the rate of inflation.
Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
- Yes
  Marijuana has so many healthy uses and has been regulated by misinformation. It has driven the supply into the hands of unscrupulous dealers who sell harmful and addictive drugs that cause a great deal of pain and suffering in our communities. By selling it to adults, taxing it and removing it from the criminal justice system, we will be able to focus our efforts on the opioid addiction problems we are in the midst of. It also has pain relief and cancer healing properties that we will be able to explore more fully when labs have access to it for study.
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?
- We have begun. We made sure that money that was supposed to only go for hiring more law enforcement was spilt into providing treatment as well. This needs to be the focus going forward. Using all available therapies and tools to help return good people to a healthy and productive life is our goal. Here in Knox County, we have added another group to the mix in the form of the Knox County Recovery Coalition. They are establishing support for addicts who have been caught up in the opioid problem. Many arrived where they are because of the lies of the drug companies that told doctors that oxycontin was not addictive and a single dose daily would do. When they discovered that this was not the case, they told their representatives to cover it up which went on for years.
  With the current awareness and commitment, we should be able to turn this around and begin to get people back to health.