On Nov. 6, we will choose who will represent us in Maine Legislative District 89.

We have a tough choice.

In 2016, the district, which represents the towns of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, South Bristol (part), Southport and Westport Island, elected Republican Stephanie Hawke (54 percent) over Democrat Wendy Wolf (46 percent). The same district favored Democrat Hillary Clinton (48 percent) over Donald Trump (45 percent).

This year, Hawke (Boothbay Region High School, Class of 1984) is seeking re-election over political newcomer Holly Stover (Boothbay Region High School Class of 1979).

Do we choose Hawke, a tireless volunteer community worker, a small business owner who also serves on the local school board? Or do we pick Stover who has spent most of her adult life working for state and local social service agencies? She is the current executive director of Lincoln County Dental and the program director of the local addiction services outreach program.

Both women are hard workers, competent and engaging. Hawke is a Republican. Stover, a Democrat, although by looking at their yard signs, you could never tell which party they represent.

“Both of us are good at what we do. Both care for this community and both work hard for it,” said Stover. Hawke agreed.

Unlike the televised food fights represented by political campaign advertising this election season, neither candidate has uttered a harsh word about the other. Their differences are in policy.

Stover, the Democrat, believes Mainers have a right to access healthcare and chides the other side for failing to expand Medicaid, despite being approved by 60 percent of the voters. The expansion was vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage five times. He said we could not afford the cost.

Hawke, who voted against expansion, argues the 70,000 or so Mainers who are not currently covered by Medicaid should purchase health insurance on the market through the Affordable Care insurance exchange program. She estimates the cost might be about $100 a month. It would be better if people paid their health insurance premiums, she said, as that would give them “some skin in the game” and make them less likely to seek treatment for minor ailments.

Citing her long career working with social service agencies, Stover says the failure to expand Medicaid means a significant portion of state citizens do not have access to healthcare. She says low wage workers are unable to afford health insurance.

For the state to expand Medicaid coverage, the legislature would have to appropriate around $100 million as a match for the federal government’s $400 million pledge to fund the program.

Stover says the state can afford their portion of the cost, noting the recent legislature approved the matching funds. LePage vetoed it.

Hawke, who voted against the Medicaid expansion, counters that even if the state put up the $100 or so million for the state’s portion of the expansion costs, there was no guarantee the federal government would kick in their share.

“We have to come up with the money first, and they could stick us with a big bill,” she said.

Maine Medicaid expansion is currently caught up in a court battle.

Stover is for expanding the state minimum wage, and Hawke is against it. Stover says low-income workers have to work several jobs to make ends meet. Hawke said very few workers earn minimum wage and raising the wages would harm small businesses causing them to raise prices.

While both candidates praise each other for their civility, this race has not escaped some of the national nastiness that plays out on the evening news.

Hawke says opponents have yelled insults at her while she shopped for groceries.

“I have been called a Nazi and criticized for being against veterans and children. They also accused me of being against women. My kids won’t go to the market with me because they don’t like their mother being criticized,” she said.

For the record, she did not blame her opponent for her treatment and suggested some of the national political unrest in Washington may have rubbed off on her.

Stover says she has not suffered similar treatment. If she had witnessed someone attacking Hawke, she said she would have called out the attackers. “That is just wrong. It is horrible,” she said.

Both candidates stood together on the state’s proposed $8 million projects to replace the hand-cranked swing bridge linking Hodgdon Island to Barters Island. The unique steel structure was recently featured on a national TV news program.

Hawke: “If it is not safe, it should be replaced. If it is being replaced just because of ..., I am not for it. I like the hand-cranked bridge. It is Maine.”

Stover: “I am not an engineer, but I believe if it ain’t broken, there is no need to fix it.”