There are never enough days or enough hours in the day! We're about half way to Election Day on November 4 with just six weeks to go. It's a great time to recap the press coverage, endorsements received to date, and other efforts to pass the word.
On August 21, Durham for House released the official announcement of candidacy to various print and online publications. The announcement was published in the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Sentry and The South Portlander and the Durham for House web site was listed at As Maine Goes.
Brian's letter to the editor in response to Rep. Dill's guest article in the Sentry was published on September 12 and is included here Changing the Formula...
To date, Brian has received endorsements from the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and the National Rifle Association.
Changing the Formula...
Doesn't Put Money in Your Pocket!
Editor:
[The following is a response from Brian Durham, Maine State House of Representatives candidate to a guest column by Rep. Cynthia Dill printed in the Sept. 5 Sentry.]
Maine’s state-local tax burden rank did drop from second to 15th highest in the United States after the Tax Foundation changed their methodology. Changing the formula does not put more money in your pocket, encourage investment or stimulate our economy.
The Tax Foundation data goes back to 1977 when Maine’s state-local tax burden ranked 35th. In 20 years our tax burden has increased 20 places, moving us from the bottom third to the top third of all states. This trend is shameful, and Democrats cannot hide from responsibility because they have controlled the Maine House of Representatives since 1975.
While our state-local tax burden is relatively high, our per-capita personal income is rather low at 35th. Maine has high taxes imposed on low incomes. The Maine Center for Economic Policy says “average Maine families have seen no meaningful increase in income over the last five years.” Most of us would agree. So what do we do?
Rep. Dill correctly states we must raise incomes and lower income and capital gains taxes. I would be pleased to work with her to accomplish this. She then suggests “broadening the sales tax base.” This means taxing goods that are not now taxed such as food, or expanding the sales tax to cover services such as haircuts, snow plowing, legal services, health services, etc. Finding new things to tax in a high tax state is the wrong solution.
Businesses create jobs, not government. Rather than finding innovative ways to raise or spend tax dollars, how about we just ask businesses what Maine can do to help them succeed? Forbes Magazine ranks Maine 46th on their list of the best states for business. Only four states are less friendly to business than we are. Maine must attract new business, and encourage existing businesses, so that they will create new jobs and grow our economy. A growing economy provides more money for people as well as government, and spreads our tax burden over a larger income base. Let’s unleash the Maine innovative spirit.
Durham is a retired Coast Guard officer and the Republican candidate for House District 122 in South Portland.
Editor:
[The following is a response from Brian Durham, Maine State House of Representatives candidate to a guest column by Rep. Cynthia Dill printed in the Sept. 5 Sentry.]
Maine’s state-local tax burden rank did drop from second to 15th highest in the United States after the Tax Foundation changed their methodology. Changing the formula does not put more money in your pocket, encourage investment or stimulate our economy.
The Tax Foundation data goes back to 1977 when Maine’s state-local tax burden ranked 35th. In 20 years our tax burden has increased 20 places, moving us from the bottom third to the top third of all states. This trend is shameful, and Democrats cannot hide from responsibility because they have controlled the Maine House of Representatives since 1975.
While our state-local tax burden is relatively high, our per-capita personal income is rather low at 35th. Maine has high taxes imposed on low incomes. The Maine Center for Economic Policy says “average Maine families have seen no meaningful increase in income over the last five years.” Most of us would agree. So what do we do?
Rep. Dill correctly states we must raise incomes and lower income and capital gains taxes. I would be pleased to work with her to accomplish this. She then suggests “broadening the sales tax base.” This means taxing goods that are not now taxed such as food, or expanding the sales tax to cover services such as haircuts, snow plowing, legal services, health services, etc. Finding new things to tax in a high tax state is the wrong solution.
Businesses create jobs, not government. Rather than finding innovative ways to raise or spend tax dollars, how about we just ask businesses what Maine can do to help them succeed? Forbes Magazine ranks Maine 46th on their list of the best states for business. Only four states are less friendly to business than we are. Maine must attract new business, and encourage existing businesses, so that they will create new jobs and grow our economy. A growing economy provides more money for people as well as government, and spreads our tax burden over a larger income base. Let’s unleash the Maine innovative spirit.
Durham is a retired Coast Guard officer and the Republican candidate for House District 122 in South Portland.
Campaign Tools
With MCEA funds in the bank, the next task was to make decisions on how best to spend the money. Experienced candidates told us that palm cards and yard signs are the major expense items for a grass-roots campaign, since TV, radio or print advertising is just not cost-effective in reaching a relatively small segment of the audience. The palm cards are the brochures that candidates hand out or leave on your doorstep and yard signs are placed on private property and public areas to give visibility to the campaign. Once these vital tools were delivered, we were off and running!
Campaign Finance
The next big decision was how to finance the campaign. Candidates may self-fund their campaign, raise money from others or run as a "Clean Elections" candidate. Entering the race late, the Maine Clean Elections Funding was the best alternative. Using $330 in seed money donations from family and friends, Durham for House solicited more than 50 donations of $5 each from registered voters in District 122 and filed all the necessary paperwork to qualify for MCEA funding in mid-August.
A special thank you to all who helped gather signatures and donations and to all who contributed!
A special thank you to all who helped gather signatures and donations and to all who contributed!
Organization
The first decision was to form a committee, Durham for House, engage committee members and select a Treasurer for the campaign, Hans Brandes, a good friend and fellow engineer at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad. This step also included reading all the regulations and seeking guidance from others who have been down this path before us. Durham for House authorized a web site (http://www.bdurham.org/) and created the outline of steps we would take to win election in November.
Public Office
The decision to run for any public office is a serious one. Candidates commit to a sometimes daunting interview process with the voters they want to represent. Campaign funding is a major consideration, as well. Because the intended Republican candidate for District 122 had to drop out after the primary election, Brian had only a couple of days to make the decision, realizing there was limited time for the direct and personal communication necessary to ask South Portland voters for the job. We've been working hard since then and will share some of our experiences as we go along.
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