Rep. Bruce MacDonald (D-Boothbay) is running for a fourth and final term as District 61's representative in the State House.

If reelected, MacDonald said he plans to continue to work for the fishing industry with the goal of sustainable fisheries, along with a system that allows people to make a good living from the existing fisheries; he plans to advocate for education reforms that focus on strengthening, not weakening public schools; and he will advocate for the development of a taxation system that would benefit the middle-class, not the wealthy by cutting or minimizing taxes.

MacDonald is the House Democratic lead on the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and has served as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources, and the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development.

Fisheries and small business

MacDonald said he sees members of the fishing industry as small business owners. To offer some relief to their operating costs, MacDonald introduced the “An Act to Refund the Sales Tax Paid on Fuel Used in Commercial Fishing Vessels,” bill last year. In this bill, fishermen could receive a five percent refund on sales tax paid on fuel for the year.

The bill had overwhelming support in both the House and Senate, but was not passed. However, Governor Paul LePage decided to include it in his budget after the fact. While MacDonald was pleased the refund would be there for fishermen, he would have liked to see it be realized through a bill, not in a budget where it will be an item for annual review.

MacDonald said the next legislative session will be “the year of the lobster” as the House and Senate explore not only how change the apprentice program and how people are licensed to go lobstering, but also explore radically altering the marketing effort's funding, along with different ways to market Maine's lobster.

MacDonald submitted a bond bill, he said was in name only so far, to provide incentive for the start up of lobster processing plants in the state. Low cost loans would be used with pay back to begin as the business profits.

“There is such a huge public benefit to having a healthy fishing industry along the coast,” MacDonald said. “The state would be investing in the infrastructure, but there is risk. There is always the chance the business owner would not be able to pay back the funds. So it is asking the people to take a risk.”

Taxes and tax breaks

MacDonald also supports tax breaks for middle-class families as well as small business. He says high state income taxes hurt both small businesses and the middle-class. He views tax breaks as a short term way to help both groups.

“Let's focus tax breaks on where it will do the most good,” MacDonald said. “I'd like to see a targeted set of tax breaks focusing on middle class families and small business that result in a bigger break for them.”

A source of long-term help, MacDonald said, is through bond issues. MacDonald would like to see more research and development bonds in the future. As an example, he cited the Maine Technology Asset Fund award program, which awarded $4.45 million in a matching grant to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. This competitive program is funded through bond initiatives.

“Here's an example of how we can borrow money and put it into smart economic development that will create jobs,” MacDonald said.

“Bigelow planned to expand its workforce to 100. Bringing in about 40 new, well-paying jobs helps to support local business from auto repair to hairdressers. They will spend dollars that will ripple out into the economy.”

Education

McDonald would like to see stronger and more explicit support of our public schools in Augusta. He said there have been numerous bills coming to the legislators that would draw funds away from public schools and into charter and public schools that do not have to answer to the taxpayers. MacDonald would like to focus on public school reform; to ask each public school to examine ways it could create more individualized attention like private and charter schools do. He is considering a bill that would modify the charter school movement.

“I understand parents' interest in choice, and I understand the public school enterprise has issues; but I would hope people would want to spend time and energy in helping that enterprise built on the premise of quality universal education for all,” MacDonald said. “I am afraid these efforts will create a greater spread between haves and have nots. I'd like the focus to be on public school reform.”

Alternative energy

MacDonald said he supports the exploration of alternative energy sources in general. But whether the topic is wind energy or aquaculture, competing uses for proposed projects and the environmental impact must always be major considerations.

MacDonald said he believes research and development must be happening now for the development and implementation of alternative, renewable energy sources. MacDonald would like to see ways in which the communities could be involved in this energy evolution. Could they perform the maintenance, electrical work, or ferry people to the site?

“Ocean wind power holds a lot of promise, but it has to be a win-win for the advancement of alternative energy and the interests of the fishing community,” MacDonald said. “If the three or four masted pilot is successful, (Statoil) would want to have more; where would they want to put them?

“We need to look at competing uses and environmental impact and affect on mammals, birds and other wildlife.”

St. Andrews

MacDonald has continued to work with the grassroots task force and others to find a way to prevent the closure of St. Andrews Hospital emergency room and skilled nursing wing.

At the first community meeting held in August, one week before the task force was formed, he introduced the public to the idea of a community hospital district, an idea that's now on the back burner.

MacDonald is also working with a small group of individuals with extensive backgrounds in hospital operations. The focus of that group is the creation of a strategic plan to counter Lincoln County Healthcare's changes, with help from a consulting firm specializing in the healthcare professions.

“When you look at data for small, local, low-tech hospitals, they have lower costs and better healthcare outcomes than the bigger ones,” MacDonald said.

“We will be show an appropriate set of services that will be low cost and appropriate to the healthcare needs for the area. We have to show a credible, viable way to move forward and ask the LCH board to give us the opportunity. People we are working with think it can be done.”

Should Lincoln County Healthcare decline to allow the community to proceed, MacDonald would move forward with putting forth the community hospital district proposal. He would also put it out to a referendum vote to see if the community was behind the undertaking.

Bruce MacDonald can be reached at the State House at 1-800-423-2900 or by email at repbruce.macdonald@legislature.maine.gov. For more information on MacDonald, visit www.maine.gov/legis/housedems/bmacdonald.

Lisa Kristoff can be reached at 844-4627 or lkristoff@boothbayregister.com.