FARMINGTON — Local candidates and one gubernatorial candidate shared their views during the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s legislative breakfast forum Wednesday at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Those attending included Eliot Cutler, candidate for governor; state Senate District 17 candidates Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton, and Joanne Dunlap of Rangeley; House District 114 state Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, and House District 89 candidates Edward David and Andrew Buckland, both of Farmington.

Also attending were Deputy District Attorney Andrew Robinson, a candidate for District Attorney; Probate Judge Richard Morton; and Pamela Prodan, candidate for county treasurer. All are uncontested.

Black’s opponent, Guy Iverson of Chesterville, and Cutler’s opponents, Gov. Paul LePage and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, did not attend.

After each candidate introduced themselves and spoke about their views, audience members asked questions about minimum wage, the proposed missile base in Rangeley, why property taxes are so high, and what candidates see as two important issues facing Franklin County.

Maine is a state with abundant resources but one that has been in decline for the past 11 years, Cutler told an audience of about 60 local voters. Politics have failed people, he said.

“It’s a community where everyone would like to live if they could make a living,” he said.

From reforming the tax system, cutting property taxes by 20 to 40 percent and relieving the property tax burden on towns by increasing revenue sharing, Cutler voiced some ways of accomplishing these.

One idea was a potential drop in sales tax to 5 percent, except from May to October, when it would be 7 percent, Cutler said.

“Fifteen million people visit Maine to enjoy the resources that we keep up,” he said.

He also said a “pay it forward and pay it back” program would help high school graduates attend college. Students would receive help with tuition but would pay back 3 percent of their income for 20 years.

Joanne Dunlap of Rangeley Plantation, a retired teacher, said she has concerns about education and the environment. At 71, she said she feels she has a lot of experience. Although she taught in New Hampshire, her family has a long history in the Rangeley area, she said.

She is challenging Saviello, who worked in the forest products industry and has been a senator for the past four years. He promised voters he would work for solutions.

Black said he is an independent thinker who wants to do what is right for his district. He spoke of the state’s natural resources and the potential to create jobs from them. Franklin County is one of the few places showing growth in the number of small farms, he said.

House District 89 candidate David said he is “running to give back” to the community that has given so much to him the past 39 years. A Farmington attorney and a veteran who learned life experiences, David said concerns about the availability of health care prompted him to get into the race.

Buckland said he “stepped up to the plate” because he cares about the local people and their plight. Self-employed with a music rental business, he has experience in several areas, including work as a Mt. Blue music teacher and a lab technician who tested underground storage tanks. He recently became a selectman in Farmington.

Robinson of Farmington, said his job as deputy district attorney is to seek justice. He said he loves going to work and since he’s unopposed expects to do so for the next four years.

As Franklin County probate judge for more than 30 years, Morton, of Farmington, said he  deals with the “dead, disabled, mentally challenged and homeless,” he said. He also handles all adoptions in the county.

County treasurer candidate Prodan, an attorney from Wilton, has run a private legal practice for 20 years. She said she believes her experience and attention to detail will serve her well in the job.

abryant@sunjournal.com