Caribou voters have three choices as to who will represent them in the Maine State House of Representatives.
Vying for the District Four (Caribou) elected position are Mark Goughan, David Martin and Carol McElwee.
Candidates were sent the same candidate profiles, and below are their responses.
Full name and age: Mark Goughan, 58
Political Party: Independent
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors, titles have you earned? Member of the Caribou Chamber of Commerce, two-year Chamber president; Member of Caribou Development Corporation, six-year Caribou City Councilor as well as miscellaneous agricultural organizations.
What is your career background? Agriculture: for 35 years, “Farmer” Gloria and I have owned and operated Goughan’s Berry Farm. We are a small family business, which requires us to be a jack-of-all-trades. We use farming as our theme with maple syrup at the start of the season to Christmas trees and wreaths ending the year.
What made you decide to run for this office? I am running for office because I believe that government would be better served if more businessmen and women would get involved. Most in the private sector know what is required to achieve a sustainable prosperous future. The state of Maine is not broke; just our politics.
What do you see as your primary goal if elected? My primary goal is to help achieve a philosophy of small government, fiscal conservatism, personal liberty, personal responsibility, economic freedom and rule of law. I would like to represent all the people of Caribou in a fair and equal way in Augusta. We all have to grow together equally to achieve sustainability.
Full name and age: David Allen Martin
Political Party: Democrat
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors, titles have you earned? Caribou Planning Board 2007; Caribou City Council 2008-present.
What is your career background? 38 years as a teacher in Caribou. Currently working for Irving Farms.
What made you decide to run for this office? Rural Maine has been neglected by Augusta. I want to be a strong voice representing Caribou and northern Maine.
What do you see as your primary goal if elected? I want the state of Maine to honor its commitment to education and revenue sharing. That would allow for a reduction in property taxes. I also want to grow the local economy by using our natural resources.
Full name and age: Carol McElwee, 67
Political Party: Republican
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors, titles have you earned? Politically for the last 25 years I have been active in the Aroostook County and Caribou Republican delegation serving as city Chair for Caribou on numerous occasions as well as vice president and secretary. Service also plays a major role in my life, and much to my surprise, I was presented the Caribou’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2011.
What is your career background? As a teacher for 35 years, I retired in 2005. I will be the first to acknowledge I have never really stopped teaching. In fact, I am presently at Caribou Adult Education helping adult students to prepare for their first English class at the collegiate level. In the last seven years I have presented workshops for the Upward Bound and Gifted and Talented programs, taught education classes for UMPI and English classes at NMCC. Education is one of my top priorities, because I believe it is the best investment we can make for our children’s future.
What made you decide to run for this office? I am running for the House because I have some specific political and community concerns. I care about people and I want not only to make their lives better, but also our community as well. I tend to be a fix-it type of person — someone who enjoys helping others. From the young people to the seniors, I will do my very best to be of service to everyone. My constituents will be very important to me.
What do you see as your primary goal if elected? I will work for: less government debt, more accountable government, less government spending, less taxes, more jobs, support of our seniors, youth involvement in the community and support of our troops and veterans.
Also, Caribou needs to support a strong business community and to encourage more job creation — we need positive growth! This is where we want to live and work. Yes, there are challenges to overcome, but with this goal set before us, and by working together, we can secure a prosperous future. These problems are a concern to me, and I want to help! I believe that public service is about listening to people and doing things that make a real difference in our community.
