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Occupation:
Educator, government administrator, farmer

Education:
M. Ed. plus 18 hours toward doctorate

Community Organizations:
Hospital board, chamber board, Rotary, town meeting moderator, masonry, etc.

Personal information (hobbies, etc.):
Family, sports, farming

Family status:
Recent widower

Years in the Legislature: 14

Committee assignments (if elected):
Appropriations, Agriculture, Government Oversight

Q&A

1) Are you satisfied with the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic? If yes, why? If not, what do you think should be done instead?
Satisfied, in general. Wish closing/opening decisions were more localized (zip code). More advance notice would have been helpful for seasonal/fragile businesses.

2) As the state tries to balance its upcoming budget in light of the reduction in tax revenue because of the pandemic, how would you decrease expenses or increase revenues?
Current budget-balancing strategies rely too much on one-time “savings”; more structural cuts will be needed. A longer range view is necessary to plan for slow economic recovery. Now is not the time to raise taxes.

3) How does serving as a local politician in your respective party align with the larger goals of that party?
My party favors smaller government and less regulation of individual freedoms and business opportunities. We need politicians who are capable of charting a better course for future generations of Mainers.

4) What do you think is the most pressing matter that pertains to the next generation of Mainers who may be voting for the first time?
Our youth need to believe state leaders are working to provide civic and economic opportunities for them to remain here. We need to make a conscious effort to entice people from away to consider Maine.

5) Are you frustrated by the political sniping, exaggeration and even lies between the parties and their supporters that have threatened progress usually reached through respect and reasoned compromise? If so, what will you personally do to make the situation better?
Yes. I am very frustrated at the lying and political attack strategies that have become commonplace. I will continue to promote civil discourse and commit to working “across the aisle” to promote reasonable consensus over partisan gridlock.

6) If you are elected, is there anything in particular that you hope to accomplish? And briefly, why?
I have always approached my seven terms with a focus on arriving at outcomes that make Maine a better place for future generations – as opposed to papering things over until the next election.

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Maine House 70: Nathan J. Wadsworth

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