Red-eyed and sniffling, John Sawyer faced a feared future late Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Lisbon man, father of a 17-month-old boy, had joined the Chandler Woodcock campaign one week before Election Day. Minutes after his candidate’s concession speech in Auburn, a teary Sawyer reflected on his whirlwind week.

“I grew up in Maine,” he said, “I remember it was a place to raise a family, where you could make a living, and not have to worry about making ends meet.”

Sawyer works a “quote-unquote minimum wage job.” Though his support of Woodcock was rooted in strong anti-Democrat beliefs, Sawyer is vehemently also pro-Maine. He wishes more than anything to stay here for his son.

“I would love to raise my son here in the state of Maine,” he said. “But I can’t.”

Whether one is Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, stories like Sawyer’s should cause alarm and steel bipartisan resolve to enact real taxation reform. Sawyer placed his hope in Woodcock – yes, because of political alignment – but also because of what he wants for Maine.

His hopes should reverberate. Young families should thrive without overburdening taxes or living costs. Economic opportunity and good-paying jobs should be available, if not prevalent. These wants transcend party or ideology.

And should, now that the contentious 2006 election is over.

Tuesday’s defeat of Question 1 – the Taxpayer Bill of Rights – has put reducing Maine’s tax burden squarely into the hands of the governor and Legislature. Twice now, voters have rejected severe citizen-sponsored tax caps, choosing to believe political promises of better days ahead.

Gov. John Baldacci has made promises during his successful re-election campaign, such as freezing property taxes for year-round residents. Yet his track record on taxation and spending – LD 1 – has left much to be desired.

LD 1, and his promises, must work. It’s all Maine’s got, but the conditions that gave rise to the Palesky and TABOR initiatives remain prevalent and fierce. Just ask John Sawyer.

Sawyer has little faith in the status quo in Augusta, a sentiment in which he’s far from alone. The Baldacci administration and the Legislature have slacked on Maine’s most pressing issues – taxation and spending – but now have another chance by voters to do it right, and soon.

It might be too late for Sawyer, who said he’s thinking about moving. “When I can go to another state, work the same job, pay less rent and taxes, and keep more money for myself, it’s more attractive to me,” he said, crystallizing choices facing Mainers every day. “It stinks.”

As a political activist, Sawyer did what he believed would improve Maine. Now it’s Augusta’s turn to improve Maine for people like him. “Over the course of my lifetime, Maine has steadily declined,” he said. “We used to make fun of Massachusetts. We called it Taxachusetts.”

Nobody should be laughing now.