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Candidates, questions and poll locations for the Nov. 6 election

13 mins read

Mainers will head to the polls Tuesday, electing a new governor, filling a number of state and county positions and weighing in on five referendum questions. The questions are listed first, followed by candidates appearing on local ballots and poll places and times.

Question 1: Universal Home Care Program

Question 1 is a Citizen’s Initiative, meaning it was brought forward after a petition process collected enough signatures. The wording of Question 1, as it appears on the ballot, is this:

Do you want to create the Universal Home Care Program to provide home-based assistance to people with disabilities and senior citizens, regardless of income, funded by a new 3.8% tax on individuals and families with Maine wage and adjusted gross income above the amount subject to Social Security taxes, which is $128,400 in 2018?

If approved, Question 1 would create a Universal Home Care Program that would provide in-home and community support services for Mainers that require assistance due to either old age or disability.

The program would be funded by new taxes on wage income and non-wage income that exceeds the amount of wages subject to Social Security taxes; in 2018 that figure was $128,400. Specifically, a 1.9 percent tax would be applied to both the employer and the employee on wage income in excess of $128,400. A 3.8 percent tax would also be applied to qualifying non-wage income, reduced by the amount paid in relation to wage income; by design this would cap the tax at 3.8 percent. That tax would generate $310 million annually, according to the state’s Office of Fiscal and Program Review.

A nine-member board would be created to oversee the program. The law would require that at least 77 percent of the funding go directly to service worker costs.

Question 2: Wastewater Infrastructure Bond

Question 2 is a bond issue, meaning it was passed by two-thirds of the Legislature prior to appearing on the warrant. The wording of Question 2, as it appears on the ballot, is this:

Do you favor a $30,000,000 bond issue to improve water quality, support the planning and construction of wastewater treatment facilities and assist homeowners whose homes are served by substandard or malfunctioning wastewater treatment systems?

This question would authorize the state to issue $30 million in bonds, mostly to support Department of Environmental Protection-issued grants to municipalities for pollution abatement facilities. A total of $27.65 million would be used for that purpose, prioritizing areas with high-value shellfish resources. Another $2 million would be used to replace failing septic systems through the Small Communities Grant Program and the final $350,000 would assist homeowners eliminating residential overboard discharge systems on the coast.

Assuming 5 percent interest over 10 years, the $30 million bond would generate $8.25 million in interest.

Question 3: Transportation Bond

Question 3 is a bond issue, meaning it was passed by two-thirds of the Legislature prior to appearing on the warrant. The wording of Question 3, as it appears on the ballot, is this:

Do you favor a $106,000,000 bond issue, including $101,000,000 for construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges and for facilities and equipment related to ports, piers, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation, transit and bicycle and pedestrian trails, to be used to match an estimated $137,000,000 in federal and other funds, and $5,000,000 for the upgrade of municipal culverts at stream crossings?

Question 3 authorizes the state to issue $106 million in bonds: $80 million to the Department of Transportation to support highway and bridge improvements; another $20 million to the MDOT for facilities and equipment relating to marine transportation, aviation, railroads, bicycles and pedestrian trails; $1 million to the Maine Maritime Academy to improve the waterfront pier in Castine; and $5 million to the Department of Environmental Protection to fund the installation of culverts at stream crossings to improve fish habitats.

Assuming 5 percent interest over 10 years, the $106 million bond would generate $29.15 million in interest.

Question 4: Public University Bond

Question 4 is a bond issue, meaning it was passed by two-thirds of the Legislature prior to appearing on the warrant. The wording of Question 4, as it appears on the ballot, is this:

Do you favor a $49,000,000 bond issue to be matched by at least $49,000,000 in private and public funds to modernize and improve the facilities and infrastructure of Maine’s public universities in order to expand workforce development capacity and to attract and retain students to strengthen Maine’s economy and future workforce?

This question would allow the state to issue $49 million in bonds for construction and renovation projects within the University of Maine System. The funds would be distributed at the direction of the Board of Trustees, with that board having approved projects in all seven campuses. At the University of Maine at Farmington campus, $8.5 million in Question 4 funds would be used to renovate the Olsen Student Center, Mantor Library and build a new Child Care & Early Education Center, as well as support improvements in the classrooms and dorms.

Assuming 5 percent interest over 10 years, the $49 million bond would generate $13.47 million in interest.

Question 5: Community College Bond

Question 5 is a bond issue, meaning it was passed by two-thirds of the Legislature prior to appearing on the warrant. The wording of Question 5, as it appears on the ballot, is this:

Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to improve educational programs by upgrading facilities at all 7 of Maine’s community colleges in order to provide Maine people with access to high-skill, low-cost technical and career education?

Question 5 would allow the state to issue $15 million in bonds to support the Maine Community College System. The funds would go toward the seven colleges for a variety of purposes that range from creating new programs to energy efficiency improvements to facilities. At the Central Maine Community College in Auburn, $2.5 million would be used to renovate and expand instructional laboratories, upgrade information technology infrastructure and upgrade heating and ventilating systems.

Assuming 5 percent interest over 10 years, the $15 million bond would generate $4.12 million in interest.

The state-wide ballot (all towns in Franklin County vote on this)

Gubernatorial Election

Alan Caron of Freeport (Independent)
Teresea Hayes of Buckfield (Independent)
Janet Mills of Farmington (Democrat)
Shawn Moody of Gorham (Republican)

[Note: While appearing on the ballot, Caron has dropped out of the race, endorsing Mills]

U.S. Senate Election

Eric Brakey of Auburn (Republican)
Angus King of Brunswick (Independent) [Incumbent]
Zak Ringelstein of Yarmouth (Democrat)

U.S. Congressional District 2 Election

Tiffany Bond of Portland (Independent)
Jared Golden of Lewiston (Democrat)
William Hoar of Southwest Harbor (Independent)
Bruce Poliquin of Oakland (Republican) [Incumbent]

State Senate District 17

Russell Black of Wilton (Republican)
Jan Collins of Wilton (Democrat)

State House of Representatives Districts

House District 74 – Includes the towns of Jay, Livermore Falls and part of Livermore.

Christina Riley of Jay (Democrat) [Incumbent]
Robert Staples of Jay (Republican)

House District 112 – Includes the towns of Anson, Avon, Carrabassett Valley, Carthage, Kingfield, New Portland, Phillips, Starks, Weld and Sandy River Plantation, plus the unorganized territories of East Central Franklin (including Freeman, Madrid and Salem Townships), and Perkins and Washington Townships.

Thomas Skolfield of Weld (Republican) [Incumbent]
Cynthia Soma-Hernandez of Anson (Democrat)

House District 113 – Includes the towns of Farmington and New Sharon.

Paul Brown of Farmington (Republican)
Scott Landry of Farmington (Democrat)

House District 114 – Includes the towns of Chesterville, Industry, New Vineyard, Strong, Temple and Wilton.

Randall Hall of Wilton (Republican)
Cherieann Harrison of Wilton (Democrat)
Maitland Lord of Chesterville (Independent)

House District 117 – Andover, Bethel, Byron, Eustis, Gilead, Greenwood, Hanover, Lovell (part), Newry, Rangeley, Stoneham, Stow, Upton and Plantations of Coplin, Dallas, Lincoln, Magalloway and Rangeley, plus the unorganized territories of North Franklin, North Oxford, South Oxford (including Albany and Mason Townships) and West Central Franklin.

Frances Head of Bethel (Republican) [Incumbent]
Stephanie LeBlanc of Bethel (Democrat)

Judge of Probate

Ronald Aseltine of Wilton (Independent)
Margot Joly of Weld (Democrat)

County Treasurer

Quenten Clark of Farmington (Republican)
Pamela Prodan of Wilton (Democrat) [Incumbent]

Register of Deeds

Susan Black of Wilton (Republican) [Incumbent]

District Attorney for District 3 (includes Franklin County)

S Thomas Carey of Auburn (Republican)
Andrew Robinson of Farmington (Democrat) [Incumbent]

County Commissioner for District 3 (includes Weld, Avon, Strong, New Vineyard, Industry and everything north of those five towns)

Clyde Barker of Strong (Republican) [Incumbent]

Polling locations and times [Note: All polls close at 8 p.m.]

AVON – municipal building at 1116 Rangeley Road – opens at 8 a.m.
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – town office at 1001 Carriage Road – opens at 8 a.m
CARTHAGE – town office at 703A Carthage Road – opens at 8 a.m.
CHESTERVILLE – town office at 409 Dutch Gap Road – opens at 8 a.m.
COPLIN PLANTATION (& Wyman Twp) – town office at 8 School Street – opens at 10 a.m.
DALLAS PLANTATION – townhouse at 436 Dallas Hill Road – opens at 10 a.m.
EUSTIS – town office at 88 Main Street – opens at 8 a.m.
FARMINGTON – community center at 127 Middle Street – opens at 8 a.m.
INDUSTRY – town office at 1033 Industry Road – opens at 8 a.m.
JAY – community building at 13 Community Drive – opens at 8 a.m.
KINGFIELD – Webster Hall at 38 School Street – open at 8 a.m.
NEW SHARON – town office at 11 School Lane – open at 8 a.m.
NEW VINEYARD – Smith Memorial Hall at 1680 New Vineyard Road – opens at 8 a.m.
PHILLIPS (& Madrid) – Phillips Primary School at 15 Russell Street – opens at 8 a.m.
RANGELEY – town office at 15 School Street – opens at 8 a.m.
RANGELEY PLANTATION – School House at 393 South Shore Drive – opens at 10 a.m.
SANDY RIVER PLANTATION – town office at 33 Town Hall Road – opens at 10 a.m.
STRONG (& Freeman) – Forster Memorial Building at 14 South Main – opens at 8 a.m.
TEMPLE – town hall at 258 Temple Road – opens at 8 a.m.
WELD – multi-purpose room at 23 Mill Street – opens at 10 a.m.
WILTON – municipal building at 158 Weld Road – opens at 8 a.m.

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6 Comments

  1. If Tiffany Bond is a resident of Portland how can she be running for U.S. Congressional District 2?

  2. The Word ‘Bonds’ came from the word ‘BONDAGE’
    The real interest on these so called Bonds is over 25 percent……
    That is over 25 cents for every dollar loaned to the taxpayers of Maine…
    Figure it out…..8.25 million in interest for a 30 million loan ….
    It is time the people of Maine started to understand what they are really voting for….IT IS PERPETUAL BONDAGE. Next election there will be another ‘Bond’ measure for something else. There are other ways to finance things Maine needs without paying the ‘Money Lenders’ high interest charges while they loan us our own money.

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