York-Ogunquit Election News
Hill, Moulton seeking to serve District 149 in Maine House of Representatives
By C. Ayn Douglass
OGUQNUIT - Democrat Dawn Hill and incumbent Republican Bradley Moulton are vying to serve Ogunquit and parts of Wells, Kittery and York, as District 149 representative.
Dawn Hill
When asked about education funding for Maine and the brain-drain of Maine youth moving out of state as soon as they complete their education, Hill responded with a focus on early childhood education and supporting small businesses.
"One way to improve efficiency in education, and thereby extend funding opportunities, is to improve access to early childcare and education," she said. "It is well documented that early child healthy-brain development in pre-school children will result in less remedial education, which is costly and time consuming. We need to invest early in our children's education, so that they are motivated to learn later in life, regardless of what the fiscal budget is at their local school."
Hill also supports small businesses and providing opportunities for creating quality jobs for Maine residents while strengthening the economy and tax base.
"I support HP 1489 - a resolution to support Maine small businesses," Hill said. "In short, this resolution called for lawmakers in Augusta to foster small business growth because they are the backbone of our economy. My opponent was one of 13 representatives to vote against this resolution; 128 representatives voted in favor of this very bi-partisan resolution. We should look to encourage technology-driven businesses and service providers to Maine. These are businesses that use very few natural resources locally, provide high paying jobs and export services to a global economy."
Hill is also dedicated to preserving open space in Maine and is an advocate of clean fuel alternatives.
"I think the Land for Maine's Future program has been a huge success in partnering with private and quasi-municipal land trusts for open space protection," she said.
Hill does not believe the citizen-proposed "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (TABOR) is the answer for local communities
"The fact is, that both opponents and proponents of TABOR agree that they cannot calculate the exact cost(s) associated with the proposal or its long term effects on local government(s). TABOR would also require governing bodies to vote for any increase in spending by a two-thirds majority, otherwise known as a 'super-majority.' Then, if such a decision were made, it would require further ratification by voters at either the local level or by statewide referendum, which could be cumbersome," she said, pointing to this year's Mother's Day flood and the need for local emergency and public works departments to respond in a timely manner. "We clearly need further tax control mechanisms besides LD 1.But, TABOR may not be the right solution. … I do understand if it is appealing to taxpayers because the concern I hear the most from residents is about taxes, particularly rising property taxes. However, I believe TABOR is not beneficial for York, Kittery, Ogunquit or Wells as the complexity of its design would eliminate the flexibility of the town council in Kittery, boards of selectmen in York, Ogunquit and Wells to manage their towns."
Looking to the election at hand, Hill said she differs most with her opponent when it comes to his votes against recent legislation on bullying and harassment, civil rights law and improvements to education while reducing local property tax relief.
"What I offer that my opponent can't is effective leadership, approachability and a strong independent voice willing to fight for the rights of my constituents in Augusta," Hill said. "Also, I consider myself a consensus builder and will be prepared to work with both sides of the aisle to get things done. … Perhaps most importantly, I would conduct my representation of District 149 in an open and transparent manner."
She is still considering what committees she might serve on if elected.
Hill, who maintained a law practice from 1980 to 1990, has served on the York Planning Board, Historic District Commission, Center for Wildlife board and in the Maine Planning Office. She owns a business and serves on the board of directors for the Maine Mutual Group Insurance Co.
Brad Moulton
He said the current formula for funding education does little to benefit York, Kittery, Wells and Ogunquit.
"We should take into account people's ability to pay," he said. "Under the formula, only special education is benefited."
During his past term, Moulton worked to assist Chebeague Island residents to present a bill to the legislature to secede from the Cumberland School District, which was burdening the islanders with a disproportionate education tax bill. He sees similarities between Chebeague's situation and that of Wells and Ogunquit.
"I understand the issue. I was living in Ogunquit when the agreement was made. I would hope to have the selectmen make the decision, but I would support a bill to terminate the agreement," Moulton said.
To encourage Maine's youth to stay in the state, Moulton said he has worked hard to get additional funding for the Maine Community College system.
"It is in a unique position to enable local people to attain job skills and earn a livable wage," he said.
While the Katahdin Institute, a watchdog of legislation advancing policies protecting such rights as freedom of speech and religion, gave Moulton a failing grade, Moulton called the report "cherry-picking" and noted his scores are have increased this year with the Maine League of Conservation Voters and Maine Audubon. He pointed to endorsements from the Maine Banking Association and Maine Realtors Association as true indicators of his priorities. Not claiming to be a rabid environmentalist, Moulton said he tries to balance concerns.
"We have Mt. A to the Sea ... I applaud their efforts as I do the Great Works Land Trust. We have to balance conservation with job creation. I will not work exclusively to protect the land, although I have worked for 25 years to protect open space and the environment," he said. "There will always be some issues that will put you in the cross fire of these two issues and I can never please both at the same time."
Moulton does not support TABOR.
"It limits spending, but it imposes a great burden," he said. "I'm not voting in favor of it. If it passes … I'll work with it, but it will be hard on a small community."
Moulton acknowledged he had a hand in writing the LD 816 legislation sponsored by Sen. Mary Andrews, R-York, in the last session to address stormwater drainage and its effect on abutting properties.
"I worked behind the scenes on it," he said. "The state was behind the times and I nudged them in the direction. Until that legislation, stormwater was treated like a nuisance and now it creates an open door in courts to hear disputes."
Moulton said he worked on that bill while representing a client in a stormwater dispute in Cape Neddick. He said he had to separate the legal case from the necessity of passing the legislation. His participation in the writing of the bill was confirmed by Margaret Reinsch in the Legislative Analyst Office in Augusta.
"He definitely worked on it (from the sidelines) as he didn't want the (dispute) to spill over into the merits of the legislation," Reinsch said.
Moulton said the major differences between him and his opponent relate to fiscal responsibility.
"I am the one who has acknowledged a fiscal problem. I'm a fiscal conservative and we must constrain our spending," he said.
Moulton grew up in York and his parents are from York and Ogunquit.
"I've worked in Ogunquit for most of the last 40 years," he said. "If you compare bios, you'll see that even while I was in graduate school I was getting municipal exposure."
