Republican State Rep. John C. Robinson is running against Democrat Lu Bauer for the House seat in District 103.

Lu Bauer

Bauer, 60, lives on Middle Jam Road in Standish. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Northeastern University and a degree in business and accounting from the University of Southern Maine. Bauer also has a master’s in taxation from Bentley University.

Bauer has been endorsed by the Maine Education Association, the AFL-CIO, the Maine People’s Alliance and in early October Congressman Dennis Kucinich came to Maine to support Bauer’s candidacy.

She is a Certified Personal Accountant and small business owner. In 1983, she formed the company The Balancing Act, which provides financial education and money counseling services.

Bauer was named accountant advocate of the year three times by the Small Business Association. Bauer also wrote a 72-hour self-sufficiency curriculum for Maine Tariff to Work programs.

“As a money counselor I am familiar with the financial problems people in my district face,” Bauer said. “I am motivated to run to help my clients.”

Bauer believes the Maine tax system is ready for an overhaul.

“I will focus on the incomes of Maine workers,” she said. “To ensure that the cost of services we do appreciate will not be such a large percent of our income.”

Tax reform and health care are the major issues Bauer wants to work on.

“I want to strengthen local economies and family incomes by increasing access to affordable healthcare,” she said. She believes the idea of a statewide health care plan is good but it needs to be looked at.

“I like the idea of Dirigo,” Bauer said. “It just needs to be worked on until we get it right for Maine people.”

She would also like to save money for the state by finding administrative inefficiencies and correcting them.

“I think we could regionalize some of the school administration such as payroll at the superintendent’s level,” Bauer said. “We could make the district sizes a little different to save money. There is a lot that can be done to save money.”

Bauer believes families in Maine cannot function on minimum wage and would increase wages all over the state.

“Who can support a family on minimum wage?” asked Bauer. “My opponent voted against raising the minimum wage, I would have voted ‘yes.'”

Bauer would have also voted differently than her opponent on LD 1938 – an act to protect victims of domestic violence by notifying victims if their abuser is attempting to purchase a gun.

“My opponent voted against protecting victims of domestic violence. I would have voted ‘yes’ on that bill,” she said.

Robinson said he voted “no” on an amendment to LD 1938 but that he did vote for the original bill.

“I have no problem with appropriate recreational use of weapons But I am really concerned about the increase in violence in this state,” he said.

John Robinson

Robinson, 34, lives with his wife Tasha, daughter Julianna, 2, and 6-week-old son Joseph on Cranberry Pond Road in Raymond.

He graduated from Hebron Academy before continuing his education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received a bachelor degree in industrial engineering. Robinson is the sixth generation of his family to operate Robinson Manufacturing Company. He is the president of the company.

Robinson first became involved in the Legislature two years ago when the textile side of his family business was forced to close its doors after 155 years.

“I decided to get involved because I was unhappy with the business climate in Maine,” Robinson said.

He has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Maine Economic Research Institute, the Maine Bankers Association, Equality Maine, Maine Community of Banks, the Maine Credit Union League and the Maine Association of Realtors.

Robinson is continuously motivated by the business issues in Maine.

“What happened to our family business is not something I want to see happen to others,” he said. “We need to reduce the tax burden both on individuals and businesses to improve the business climate.”

Robinson’s first priority is job creation. While serving on the Business, Research & Economic Development Committee, Robinson saw a number of issues.

“We saw a number of bills where it is clear that Maine needs to invest in research and development, and in the creation of jobs for Maine people,” he said.

Robinson submitted a bill in the last session to streamline the economic development agencies.

“The bill would set up a task force for economic development,” said Robinson. “My goal is to focus the money to target areas that need economic development the most, and to help the state focus these funds.”

Tax reduction is another major priority for Robinson. “I would like to sponsor a bill that would lower the income tax from 8.5 percent to 5 percent over the next four years,” he said.

Business infrastructure is another area Robinson believes needs to be addressed.

“We need to take a look at bridges, roads, and basic transportation needs and how these things can be approved with additional funding,” Robinson said.

He believes a fundamental difference between himself and Bauer is that his record is clear and Bauer, in Robinson’s opinion, seems to change her mind.

“My opponent says she is pro-business but then suggests we

put a 20-cent tax per bottle of water in this state because she says businesses are not doing their part. My record has always been very clear on where I stand,” Robinson said.

Bauer said Robinson is misunderstanding her position on the tax.

“I was not endorsing a tax. I believed there was a problem with the tax bill that was proposed at the time. I was replying to an editorial in the (Lakes Region Suburban Weekly),” Bauer said.