Candidate supports businesses and their employees

To the editor:
    My name is Troy Haines and I am a Democrat running to represent House District 7 in the Maine State Legislature. District 7 includes the towns of Hammond, E-Plantation, Oxbow, Wade, Masardis, Castle Hill, Chapman, Littleton, Monticello, Washburn, Mapleton and a part of Presque Isle (basically everything south of UMPI on Route 1 and west of Route 1 from Chapman St. all the way to Westfield). I am also a butcher who owns the largest processor of moose in the state of Maine. As a meat cutter I don’t have a lot of time to campaign, but luckily being a candidate of state representative affords me the opportunity to write in to express my views on the issues facing my constituents. Instead I would like to take this time to talk a little bit about how I see the relationship between business owner and worker.
    In Augusta during the last session we have been told by people like my opponent that the needs of business and working people are diametrically opposed. I disagree. After the busiest season we have ever had (my workforce has grown from 16 employees to 28 this year) I can tell you that the success that I have is totally dependent on my workers and the relationship I have with them. We are on track to process 300 moose over the course of three weeks, and I could not do any of it without any one of them.
    From the men and women who help skin and quarter moose, to meat wrappers, to the people who rearrange the freezers on a daily basis to ensure a completely frozen product, there is not one employee I have who is not directly responsible for my success. Because of this I don’t understand the approach to “Business friendliness” in Augusta that says in order to support business we must hurt working people. We have rolled back protections from workers in the areas of workers’ compensation and made it far less affordable to provide health care coverage.
    There are constant attacks on the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain, and attempts at reducing wages. This administration has demonized teachers and public employees in order to rob from their pensions to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest Mainers (while business owners like me have to scramble to make good on our tax obligations, and we are the ones who are really creating jobs).
    I truly believe that an entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity are necessary to make a go of it in Aroostook County, and to do good business. I see many other great examples of the type of businesses that create jobs and do the kind of business that make them thrive in Aroostook County. I am proud to count myself among such company, and I hope that individuals keep taking charge of their futures and the future of rural Maine to ensure that it is always a great place to work and live, and to raise a family or come home to. To all of you, thank you, and I couldn’t do it without you.
    Lastly I would say that I think the most important things for voters to remember when they are at the polls is that it’s necessary to elect someone with common experiences with you. I’ve lived and worked in the district all my life, including 13 years for the towns of Mapleton, Castle Hill and Chapman. I’m just a working class guy who grew up poor in Aroostook County and is trying to make good, and I’d like to see that everyone is afforded that same chance.
Troy Haines
Mapleton