Party affiliation: Republican

Date of birth: September 26, 1940

Hometown: New Sharon

Occupation: Retired

Education: Bachelor’s in philosophy, University of Maine; master’s in philosophy, Syracuse University; Ph.D. in philosophy, Syracuse University

Community organizations: Former selectman; president or past president of Animal Shelter Board, Town Library Board, Everyone’s Resource Depot (a recycling center), New Sharon Historical Society, and Mt. Blue Music Boosters; member, Western Maine Blacksmith’s Assocation.

Personal information (hobbies, etc.): Handmaker of pocket knives, leather hand-stitcher and shoemaker, gardening, woodworking, hunting, bench rest shooting, essayist, auto mechanic, reading, book collecting.

Family status: Married; one child

Years in the Legislature: None

Clean Election candidate?: Yes

1. It has become apparent that the 30-plus years of domination of the Legislature by the Democrat party has very seriously damaged our state’s economy. We witness a too busy Legislature that is implementing a host of bad economic decisions. I believe some voice of reason must be heard in Augusta to promote the benefits of greatly reduced action by the Legislature.

2. My top priority will be to represent the reasoned position that the Legislature must do less. A profound truth is that the more laws in any state the less the compliance with those laws and the less the public and the press will know about the actions of their government. The more laws produced, the deeper in the dark the citizens are placed.

3. I am fully in favor of TABOR. The result will be a gradual turning around of our state’s economy. More prosperity will result. It will not detrimentally effect town, cities, counties or the state. The negative result of the referendum is that a large number of misleading and downright false ads have been aired by groups – who are principally feeding at the government trough – to convince citizens not to vote for the measure.

4. I don’t think social issues will play a large role in this election given the facts that our state economy is in such tattered shape. I am not in favor of same sex marriage or late term abortions. I think anti-discrimination legislation takes away the freedom of businesses and landlords, regardless of sexual preference.

5. Dirigo is a fiasco, a failure, wildly expensive, and very ill-conceived. It springs from the impulse of many in the Legislature to install socialized medicine in Maine. Look at New Hampshire and then Maine and the differences in health insurance costs. Sad to say, however, we will never get rid of Dirigo Health.

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