Dill pledges to keep Maine interests at heart

By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
  PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Cynthia Dill, an award-winning civil rights lawyer who resides in Cape Elizabeth, wants to be the state’s next U.S. senator. The Democratic challenger has been campaigning throughout Maine and participated in a Presque Isle debate last Thursday.
    Dill said she is no stranger to Aroostook County.
“When I was elected to the House, my seat mate was Ken Theriault (D-Madawaska), so I sat next to him for a number of years,” she said. “He would share with me some of his issues related to the mill, farming, transportation, and Canadian trade.
“When I went to the Senate, I sat next to Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) and I heard Troy’s concerns for loggers, bonded labor and Canadian subsidies in the wood products industry, so my friendships with Ken and Troy informed me about Aroostook County issues, plus I’ve been to The County a number of times,” said Dill. “I’ve spoken with farmers and I understand their issues. I recognize the need for Aroostook County people to have support when it comes to infrastructure and their unique farming capacity whether it’s potatoes, broccoli or organic beef.”
On a statewide level, Dill said her two biggest areas of concerns are jobs and health care.
“Maine people need jobs,” she said. “We have an aging population and our median income is below the national average. Maine families love the state and are passionate about staying here, but need opportunities to support their families. I believe I have the best plan for job creation.
“The American Jobs Act is something I would support immediately. It would put 1 million people in this country to work. I think we need to reform our tax codes so that everyone pays their fair share to help reduce the debt and deficit problems,” said Dill. “We need to invest in infrastructure projects. We need to fix our bridges. We need to build our roads, invest in alternative modes of transportation, and bolster our airports and shipping terminals. I believe in public infrastructure; I do not support the private East-West Highway, but I do support using taxpayers dollars, putting people to work, and building infrastructure that can support a robust economy.”
Regarding health care, Dill said the state’s “aging population and our personal demographics clearly demonstrate the need for universal access to health care.”
“We need early childhood access to preventative medicine and wellness to get kids from Day One involved in their own health care with an emphasis on preventative medicine. I do think that the fee for service model that we have right now is really bad. I opposed the rate hike bill that the Republicans passed this past legislative session because I knew it would disproportionately affect rural Maine and it has,” she said. “The cost of health care is escalating. I think we just need to move toward a single-payer system. Maine could be a pilot project at the national level, and that’s something that I would work toward if elected.”
Education is also of significant importance for the Democratic nominee.
“We have to focus on high-quality early child education because so much development occurs before age 5; increase access to higher education because one’s chances of economic security are much greater with a college degree; support teacher pay and meaningful teacher evaluations because they are training our next generation of Americans to compete globally; and address the problem of college affordability and student debt because it’s negatively affecting the economic futures of a generation,” said Dill.
“The federal government should require states to ensure comprehensive, meaningful evaluation systems, developed collaboratively by educators and administrators in each local district. I oppose any federal mandate that teacher evaluations be based on student standardized test scores,” she said. “I strongly believe teachers make or break our future; as such, they deserve the same respect as CEOs, hedge-fund managers and professional athletes. America’s way forward is to increase our engagement and investment in public education — not run away from it.”
Recognizing that Maine has a legacy of sending “truly remarkable people to the U.S. Senate,” Dill said she hopes to be added to the list.
“While I certainly don’t claim to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Chase Smith, George Mitchell, Ed Muskie and Olympia Snowe, that’s what I aspire to do. I think my campaign — and myself — represents the new generation of leadership … somebody who is going to get down to Washington, who’s in touch with the challenges of working families and small business,” she said.
“Right now, two-thirds of the U.S. Senate are millionaires. Eighty-three percent of them are older, white, very wealthy men. There isn’t a single African American or a Native American in the U.S. Senate, and only 17 percent are women,” said Dill. “There’s a need for the Congress to be in touch with the families in Aroostook County, with the farmers, with kids. I think I represent a real opportunity for the Congress to get in touch with the American people.
“I’m so proud of our campaign. We’ve traveled over 22,000 miles and we are the campaign that does not have Super PACs and outside interests. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided he wants Angus King to serve the people of Maine, and Karl Rove [a Republican strategist] has decided that he wants Charlie Summers to represent Maine,” Dill said. “My message is, it’s up to the people of this state to pick their senator. With this election there’s millions of dollars from outside groups that really don’t care about the people of Maine but are more interested in amassing power down in Washington.
“What I care about are the families here in The County and the state, the farmers, loggers and fishermen. It’s important that Maine sends someone who truly has Maine interests at heart and will put the people of Maine ahead of some sort of personal political ideology,” she said. “I can’t compete with the out-of-state spending, but what I can do is meet with as many people across the state and really speak honestly about where I stand and what I hope to do and make a commitment to the people of this state that I’m in it for them. I believe the seat in the Senate is really held in trust for the people in Maine and shouldn’t be bought by outside special interests. It should be earned and that’s what I hope to do.”