Willette is challenged by Saucier
for District 5 seat
Name: Michael James Willette
Hometown: Presque Isle
Age: 43
Political Party: Republican
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors or titles have you earned? I am the current representative for District 5 (Presque Isle)
What is your career background? I have an extensive list of work experiences as well as life experiences, as I tell people, I have worn many hats. I graduated from high school and enlisted in the United States Army. I was a combat medic for three years, and I exited the military shortly after returning home from Iraq, once ground operations were completed for Operation Desert Storm. I moved back to Presque Isle and married my wonderful wife Pam Sites. We have been married for 20 years and have three children, Alex, Maddy and Sophie. I worked at UPS for a while and then worked for JM Huber for four years. I was a volunteer firefighter before and after my military service.
I then decided it was time to get my college degree; I enrolled at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. I worked full time at McCain Foods and raised three children while going to school. After getting degrees in biology, chemistry and education, I took a job with the Presque Isle school system as a science teacher. During that time I also studied to get my real estate broker’s license. I am currently partner and co-owner of Big Bear Real Estate in Presque Isle. I am also on the board of directors at Balance BPO, a company that I helped to bring to Presque Isle. I am a member of the Presque Isle Elks Lodge #1954, the American Legion and the Presque Isle VFW. My favorite club that I belong to is the Willette family and that is where I spend most of my time.
What made you decide to run for this office? Actually it was my son that convinced me to run back in 2008. I decided to run so that I could contribute what I could to help make Maine a better place for our young and provide a friendlier business climate so we can grow and put people to work. I also feel we need to keep working to make sure as a state that we can better handle the uncertainty in our national economy. I also take great pride in being a true representative for my district. I have heard too many times over the years that politicians never return calls from their constituents or care about their problems.
I have proven time and time again that I put the citizens first, before my party, and before the wants and needs of southern Maine. I also have a unique situation that has afforded my the ability to work and maneuver the partisanship that most time stymies progress in Augusta. I am also running for re-election so that we can continue the important work we had started in the 125th Legislature. There is more work I want to do with regards to veterans’ issues; things like veterans’ employment programs and problems with our homeless veterans, especially for our women veterans. I also want to keep working to get our state’s health care cost in order. One of my bills that I got passed last session will go a long way in saving the state money in MaineCare payments to hospitals, but we can do more. I also want to address some domesticated animal rights issues with regards to abuse and puppy mills. I also want to keep working to make sure to secure the funds that are needed to help make our harness racing industry strong here in Maine. I fought hard last session to make sure special interests in the southern part of the state didn’t raid portions of the cascade from lottery and gambling revenue that are used to keep our state fairs and harness racing industry healthy. I want to make sure that we keep making progress in dealing with our debt. For the first time in a very long time, our state debt is ticking backwards.
What do you see as the most important issue facing Presque Isle? Jobs! We need more jobs in our area. I take great pride in being the only state rep from Presque Isle to actually bring jobs to the district. This is always in the back of my mind, how can we get more jobs in our area? We also need to work to get the cost of energy down for our area as well. When most businesses are asked what is the biggest obstacle to growth or start-up, they say it is the cost of energy. More importantly, we need to get cheaper energy for ourselves. It costs a lot to live in our area and anything we can do to make it more affordable to live and enjoy our beautiful part of the state is something I will fight for. We also need to do what we can to help get property taxes down for our citizens. Recently, a judge ruled against the MEA and the stranglehold the MEA had on health insurance plans that our local school districts were forced to purchase through the MEA health insurance (monopoly) trust. We passed legislation last session that opened up that trust so school districts could shop around for health insurance policies that would be less costly. The MEA took the state to court to stop this. As a result of the judge’s order, the Bangor School District has been able to save around a million dollars on the costs it incurs for providing health insurance for the workers in their school district. The savings go straight back to the citizens as property tax relief. I am anxious to see how the SAD 1 district takes advantage of this.
What do you see as your primary goal, if elected? My primary goal is to represent our district and promote our area to the rest of the state. It seems to be a never-ending battle letting the rest of the state know that there is life north of Bangor, and I make that known every time I can. I will hold fast on a promise that I made during the 2008 and 2010 election, and that is that I will not support any tax increases and I will do my best to keep Maine moving in a prosperous direction. I will always make myself available for the people in my district and work to the best of my ability to provide help to those that need it. I have been, and will continue to be, the veterans’ biggest advocate in Augusta. I will also go to bat for those who keep us safe, and these are the firefighters and police and nurses that we depend on to give us piece of mind as we live and raise our families. I will also continue to fight for our second amendment rights. As an owner of many guns and a hunter and NRA member, I am a firm believer in our right to bear arms. I have always believed the old saying that if you outlaw guns, the only people that will have them are outlaws. I will also throw out the welcome mat to those who want to come to the State House for a visit or participate in the Page for a Day program or just visit for a tour. We love showing off our Presque isle citizens to the rest of the state, so come on down! I have done this job for the last four years and I feel I have done it very well. I know this because I have been told by many people in Presque Isle and in Augusta that I have done a great job, and I want to continue to represent the people of District 5, and I want to keep doing good work for all of them.
