ARUNDEL — The Democratic candidate for Maine House of Representatives District 140, Kirstan L. Watson, has dropped out of the race.
Her withdrawal leaves one candidate in the contest for the district, incumbent Republican Wayne Parry.
Maine House District 140 includes Arundel, Dayton, and part of Lyman.
Watson, of Arundel, terminated her candidacy on Monday, Sept. 19, state records show.
“At this point in the election cycle, it is too late for a replacement candidate, and her name will remain on the ballot, although she has withdrawn,” said Maine Secretary of State’s Office spokeswoman Emily Cook.
Watson did not respond to phone messages seeking comment on her decision, but in her withdrawal letter to the secretary of state, she said she did not have the resources necessary to fully invest in the race.
Wayne Parry Courtesy Photo
Republican Parry, the incumbent, is 59, engaged, lives in Arundel and is a lobster fisherman. He served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018 and was elected again in 2020.
“As someone that has lived in Maine my whole life, I bring ‘Maine Common Sense’ to the table,” said Parry. “I love Maine, I hate seeing Maine turn into New York or California. I try to listen to all sides before I make a decision. I’ve been very fortunate in my five terms on the Transportation Committee, we have very few partisan fights, unlike other committees, so I feel lucky, and I believe Arundel, Dayton, and Lyman residents have benefited from me serving on that committee.”
His legislative priorities include jobs — ” but not just jobs, the right jobs,” he said. “For 30 years we’ve told children that they had to go to a four-year college; if any of you have tried to hire a plumber, electrician, or carpenter, you know they are hard to come by. Also, we are in desperate need of truck drivers, along with other trades like mechanics, machinists, welders, etc. In a few short years we will have no one to do these jobs. Also, the medical field, especially nurses — in hospitals, nursing homes, and in home care, there is a huge shortage and the older we get, we will need even more.”
He said Maine must protect its small businesses. He said the COVID pandemic destroyed many, and others struggle today.
“We need to make sure that never happens again,” said Parry. “Too many in Augusta don’t seem to realize how important our small businesses are to the state.”
Parry said Maine must prioritize spending, said that the state collects plenty of tax money, “maybe too much.”
“One thing we don’t prioritize is transportation and highway spending,” said Parry. “Currently we collect almost $200 million a year on vehicle sales tax, and 100 percent goes into the General Fund. Maybe it’s time to move that permanently into the Highway Fund. That tax is almost 100 percent highway use. And what needs to be done with that money is put into reconstructing many of our local roads that we have continued to just put band aids on.”
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