Nov. 18 – The State House delegation for Portland, one of Maine’s most Democratic cities, is concerned about the impact of the federal election results on Maine.
The ten representatives representing Portland in the state Legislature – two in the Senate and eight in the House of Representatives – all Democrats, have varying levels of political experience, with one political newcomer, but they largely agree that their work is more urgent than ever.
“With (Donald) Trump at the helm and Republicans in power federally, the state really needs to step up and meet the needs of the people,” said Rep. Grayson Lookner, who ran unopposed to return for a third term in District 113. “It is up to the state to protect our most vulnerable and not cooperate with federal programs designed to undermine people’s safety.”
In interviews with the Press Herald last week, many Portland representatives said they were most concerned about changes in education, health care and social services that could have real impacts in Maine. They also said that in many ways the presidential race has forced them to reconsider legislative priorities.
“The winds have changed, and that hangs over everything,” said Rep. Edward Crockett, who won re-election to a fourth term in the House of Representatives representing District 112.
Incoming Rep. Dylan Pugh said Trump’s victory will play a big role in how he will approach his first term. Pugh won Maine’s 114th District and is the only newcomer to the delegation. He first entered the political scene in Maine last fall when he ran for mayor of Portland.
“My goal is to strengthen individual working families on an economic basis so that they have lasting power that will last no matter what happens at the national level,” he said.
State Sen. Jill Duson, who was re-elected to a second term and will be the Senate majority leader, said housing has always been and will remain a primary issue, but education and social services are currently top priorities because of her concerns. about what could happen nationally.
“The urgency that I feel on some of these issues has been reversed, given what has happened at the federal level,” she said.
POLICY PRIORITIES
Whatever happens nationally in the coming years, much of Portland’s delegation continued to see housing as a top legislative priority.
Lookner said he plans to introduce several housing-related bills during his next term, including one to help municipalities finance the creation of their own mixed-income housing projects.
He would also like to see municipalities tackle the homelessness crisis in a more equitable way. Lookner, who also ran for a seat on the City Council but lost to Ben Grant, said Portland is doing more than its fair share of work to provide services, so he wants to make sure other municipalities are on board and that Portland becomes sufficient reimbursed for general costs. Social assistance, which helps people with low incomes cover their living costs.
Rep. Michael Brennan, who represents Maine’s 115th District, and Rep. Sam Zager, of the 116th District, also identified changes to General Assistance reimbursement as a priority.
Pugh said he wants more people to buy homes in Maine, and he has some ideas about how to lower the homeownership barrier. He hopes to implement a first-time homebuyer assistance program and, with the help of local credit unions, build a state financial institution that can provide favorable, low-interest loans.
Brennan served as chairman of the House Education Committee for the past four years and said he is particularly concerned about President-elect Trump’s plan to close the Department of Education.
“That would impact tens of thousands of students in the state of Maine. So that is an immediate concern,” said Brennan, who was unopposed in his bid for a fourth term.
He said the House of Representatives has a history of rejecting bills that ban books or bring guns to schools, and he is optimistic that majorities of Democrats in both chambers will prevent such proposals from becoming reality.
But he also worries that Mainers will lose health care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as Trump has threatened to do, and that women may not have access to essential reproductive health care if a national abortion ban takes effect. Brennan said he hopes to do everything he can at the state level to help Mainers maintain access to quality health care and education.
Lookner said he hopes to propose a bill that would refer at-risk youth to the state’s Health and Human Services Department in an effort to prevent them from entering the juvenile justice system and ending up in the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
“Anything I can do to keep as many kids out of there as possible is a priority,” he said.
Other priorities ranged from limiting climate change to an aging population.
Duson said she wants to support traditional economies like lobsters and help more Mainers grow older. Maine is the oldest state in the country with an average age of 45, while Portland is slightly younger with an average age of 38.
“I’m an older, empty homeowner. So the part of housing that’s about how do we make sure I have the opportunity to age in place is really important to me,” she said.
Lookner said he is interested in creating a state climate super fund program where major polluters contribute to the fund that could be used for climate mitigation work across the state.
Brennan said he wants to change the way sports betting is approved. After seeing so many recreational marijuana stores open after legalization, he said he worried the same thing would happen with sports betting.
“I’m not happy with the increase in the number of cannabis stores in Portland. I hope some of them will go out of business at some point. … I don’t want to see a similar increase in online sports betting facilities popping up,” he said.
GATHERING
Pugh, the only freshman representative from Portland, said in the days since his election his colleagues have already reached out to offer support as he learns the country’s situation.
“I’m trying to do as much work as I can to be effective. I want to get into the mix and get things across the finish line, even towards the end of my first term, and the other deputies have already been helpful,” he said. .
Crockett emphasized that even in a divided political environment, it is important to continue reaching out to all parties and passing bipartisan legislation.
“There are very few things that are directly partisan in this Legislature. Bipartisanship should be a priority, and I am confident it is the priority of our caucus,” Crockett said.
Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross and Reps. Yusuf Yusuf, Charles Skold and Matt Moonen — who were elected House majority leader this week — did not respond to questions about their upcoming terms and legislative priorities.
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