Maine election 2022: Sayre vs. Hirshfield for House District 135 state rep.
Democrat Daniel Sayre is running in the 2022 election against Republican Jared Hirshfield for the District 135 seat in the Maine House, which represents Kennebunk.
Daniel Sayre
Hometown: Kennebunk
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?
The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision has created a chaotic patchwork of state laws and policies that impose government control over personal healthcare decisions. I support Congressional action to codify the rights defined in Roe at the national level, but until that happens, state legislatures and courts are the last line of defense that will enable people to maintain individual control over their reproductive decisions. Here in Maine, we need to preserve the laws we have that protect the right to abortion and that prevent government from dictating what forms of care a pregnant person may access. We also need to protect the right to abortion for those who depend on MaineCare or other forms of public support. Also, we need to protect all people who obtain or provide abortion care in Maine by enacting shield laws that protect patients and providers from attempts by other state governments to impose their will within our borders.
The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?
Inflation is largely caused by global forces beyond the control of the Maine Legislature. But we can take immediate steps to address the real economic pain of Mainers in need. It has already done so through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which we should expand and promote more heavily heading into this winter. Recent action on property tax relief for seniors will also help. We need better outreach to make those who qualify aware of the program. We should also explore providing additional emergency direct assistance to municipalities that will be fielding many requests this winter. The rainy day fund has grown significantly under Governor Mills and this would be an appropriate use of some of those funds. The labor shortage and the lack of affordable housing are inter-related, and the Maine Legislature can and should do more to address them. We can increase the inventory of lower-cost housing units by making it easier to add ADUs to properties. We should slow the conversion of available year-round housing into Short Term Rentals through more careful regulation. I support requiring STRs to comply with the same health and safety regulations as Inns and B&Bs, to both public safety and level the playing field for existing operators of inns and hotels. I also support enabling refugees and other immigrants to become self-sufficient through work as soon as possible. I support the Maine Compact on Immigration and other commonsense approaches to attract workers to Maine.
What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?
I’m passionate about growing and diversifying Maine’s economy, especially in manufacturing and new technologies. These fields offer high-wage jobs that will enable Mainers to afford the rising cost of housing. I've had a 35-year career in book publishing for students and professionals in science, technology, engineering and math. For the past two years, I've run a national program to uncover best practices for preparing America's skilled technical workforce. I am aware of many successful approaches to getting educational institutions, employers, and state and local government to collaborate on developing programs that prepare local students and workers for high-wage, high-reward careers in manufacturing and technical industries. Maine has all the ingredients required to build a more diverse and robust economy. I have the expertise and experience to help make this a reality.
Editor's note: Seacoast Media Group made a good-faith effort to distribute our candidate questionnaire to all candidates. We will add any missing candidate questionnaires when they are received. If any candidates have questions or need information on how to be included, please email news@seacoastonline.com or news@fosters.com with "candidate questionnaire" in the subject line.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine election 2022: Sayre vs. Hirshfield for House District 135 state rep.
