By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
The Houlton Pioneer Times will be profiling candidates in its coverage area for Houlton Town Council, SAD 29 School Board, Aroostook County Sheriff, State Senate District 34, House Districts 8 and 9 as well as the race for governor. These profiles will appear over the next three issues.
This week, the newspaper will profile the race for Senate District 34 between incumbent Roger Sherman and Patrick Gordon. Senate District 34 includes Houlton, Hodgdon, Littleton, Monticello, Hammond, Ludlow, New Limerick, Linneus, Cray Plantation, Amity, Orient, Weston, Bancroft, Haynesville, Glenwood, Reed Plantation, Macwahoc, Sherman, Crystal, Island Falls, Hersey, Dyer Brook, Oakfield, Moro Plantation, Merrill, Smyrna, Oxbow, Bridgewater, Blaine, Mars Hill, Westfield, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Chapman, Ashland and Masardis.
Roger L. Sherman
Age: Not listed
Residence: Hodgdon
What position are you running for? Maine Senate District 34
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors or titles have you earned? House of Representative 119-122; National Education Association Director for Maine, Washington, D.C.; MEA Executive Board (3 terms) Augusta; Vice Chair of Bi-partisan Rural Caucus; eight years Maine Legislature; President of the Senior Housing in Hodgdon.
What is your career background? Currently serving as Maine Senator for District 34; Practiced law in southern Maine; taught math and chemistry at the high school level for 29 years; farming with my father raising potatoes, grain and beef; adjunct Professor of Law at Northern Maine Technical College for six years.
What made you decide to run for this office? I decided to run again for state Senate because of a frustration prompted by watching a state budget increase under Governors Angus King and John Baldacci from $2.8 billion to $6.6 billion within an eight-year period, resulting in higher taxes, fines, fees and other costs to the people of Maine.
For eight long years, minority budgets have failed time after time. Now we have arrived at a point where candidates claim to be ready for an overhaul of state revenues and expenditures. I am running on the hope that those claims are true and doable. Let us watch.
What do you see as the most important issue facing the community you will serve? The most important issue for me is to provide services to the people of Maine within our ability to pay for those services; whether it is social services, education or roads. Government must be there to help, not be a hindrance.
What do you see as your primary goal, if elected? My primary goal is for Maine to match revenues in a fair way with necessary services, while lowering the tax burden over a reasonable time period. Encouraging jobs and a business atmosphere to encourage a growing economy is a must as well. Good luck to all of us.
Why should people vote for you? A vote for me would be a vote for my experiences with five different state Legislative committees, where I served as lead Republican on four of them. I am also working as a member of Rural Caucus, with Democrats and Republicans with common goals. I have received support on eight to 10 major items for Aroostook County and other rural parts of Maine. Experience does count if it is bipartisan. Thank you for your support.
Patrick Gordon
Age: 41
Residence: Houlton
What position are you running for? Maine Senate District 34
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors or titles have you earned? No political offices. I served the state of Maine as an assistant district attorney for over eight years.
What is your career background? I was raised in the County, working in my father, Foster Gordon’s, sawmill in Oakfield. I put myself through the University of Maine at Orono by working in retail management. I proceeded to the University of Maine School of Law where I graduated cum laude in 1996. After law school, I returned to Houlton and worked for two years in my own law office. After enjoying success in private practice, I worked for the state of Maine as an assistant district attorney for over eight years. During this time, my wife and I opened a small local retail business. I recently resigned my position with the D.A.’s office to run for Senate.
What made you decide to run for this office? I had no intention of venturing into politics. Last spring, as the legislative session was ending, I received a call from Representative Cleary informing me that the bond package that included the Aroostook County Rail was not going to pass in the Senate. I was shocked. Representative Cleary, many supporters, and I worked that weekend to inform the public and speak out to our Senator who opposed the package. We eventually were able to get that bond package on the ballot and the voters of the County passed that bond overwhelmingly. I realized at that time that our local senator, who had been in Augusta for 12 years, no longer had the County in his heart. Change had to happen. I could no longer sit idly by and watch our County take a back seat to the rest of the state and be governed by party politics. I realized we needed a strong voice to speak out for the County. I hope to be that voice of change.
What do you see as the most important issue facing the community you will serve? First and foremost we need to change the culture of regulation and negativity in Augusta. We need our state employees to ask, “How can we help make your business possible?” No more can we say “No.” The reality is our state is that not a bad place to do business – we can be better. Unfortunately, the perception is that we are a difficult place to do business; and that’s an attitude more than it is a truism.
Locally, we need to control the rampant prescription drug problem and get our youth, off drugs, and motivated to work. The rehabilitation of our youth will be a slow process. The root of the problem can be easily addressed. We have a system in place than can regulate the amount of illegal prescription drugs that reach our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, our current laws do not mandate that prescribers abide by the system. This is a fix that costs nothing. However, no one has had the courage to force the issue . . . until now.
Finally, there are state systems that can be self-sustaining – but Augusta refuses to accept it. Here’s why: We have over 180 elected politicians in Augusta – each with their own agenda. When our great state was founded, our representatives travelled by horseback or carriage to represent their communities. We needed our vast legislature. We’ve changed. No longer do we need representatives in that number. Modern technology allows our public servants to receive input from constituents as never before. There are too many of us in Augusta. We are wasting your money. We need to cut our legislature in half and dramatically reduce the number of bills that are introduced. If my district is eliminated after my term, I will have been a successful senator.
What do you see as your primary goal, if elected? Make Maine more business friendly, stop welfare fraud, and reduce the flow of prescription drugs in the illegal marketplace.
Why should people vote for you? I have the courage to stand up for the County. I won’t be silenced by partisan politics. I will be that strong voice for the County; and, above all, I know we must change!
