HARRISON – Incumbent Richard Sykes, R-Harrison, was leading the race for House District 98 at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday after three towns reported.
Democrat Margaret Reimer trailed by 133 votes after results came in from Bridgton, Stow and Sweden. The tally was 1,658 Sykes to 1,525 Reimer, with results missing from Harrison and Lovell.
Reimer, a Bridgton resident and English professor at the University of Southern Maine, said during her campaign that tax reform was one of her top priorities. Maine’s tax system, she said, relies too heavily on property and sales taxes.
While she called the Palesky tax-cap proposal misguided, she also said it would force administrators and the Legislature to “deal with the problem of tax reform.”
Sykes described himself as “fiscally conservative” and said Maine does not have a tax problem, but a spending problem.
He expressed disappointment that the Legislature did not enact tax reform in its last session, and spoke about voter concerns over shouldering large tax burdens.
Sykes suggested giving the Legislature the ability to oversee more departments within state government in order to control spending.
He also said he wanted to continue building on his experiences as a state legislator.
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