Lincoln County Republican candidates held a meet and greet in Boothbay Harbor at the Boathouse Bistro on Sunday afternoon, April 3. House District 48 candidates were there to meet, mingle, talk, and answer questions.

Tricia Warren, HD-48 candidate, was the first to address the standing room only crowd. She shared how much she has come to respect and enjoy the harbor community and how thankful and appreciative she is for their past and present help and support. It inspired her to run for the Legislature, in the hope that she can pay back the people who supported. She wants to represent the working people, families, students in the Maine Education System, retirees, and people who need a safety net. She noted that, with a 9% dropout rate, 12,000 young people will not get a high school diploma. She also noted that a diploma alone does not prepare the graduate for a career. She would like to see a focus on trade programs that can help our young people find good jobs and help our industries succeed by supplying them with well-trained employees. She also noted that the current administration’s plan to give our fishermen money and say, “Everything will be fine” is not the way to address the federal challenges to our fishing industry. She noted fishermen just want respect for their trade and an opportunity to continue to fish and earn a living.

Ed Thelander, federal Congressional District 1 candidate, then spoke. Ed retired from the military as a Navy Seal and has been in many countries around the world protecting American interests. He is proud of our country and its history of freedom and opportunity for all. He is concerned that the current educational system is failing our children in the traditional skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In a broader sense he believes the system fails in teaching students the historical role America has played in leading the world in freedom and prosperity and the pride in their American heritage. He also feels that parents and students are not listened to and respected in the current environment. He noted that bad government programs create problems and dependency. He believes that returning some of the taxpayers money back to them is not an effective remedy.

Abden Simmons, Senate District 13 candidate, followed Thelander. Abden was born in Maine and has been working in traditional Maine jobs most of his life. He is a fisherman and a business owner. He has extensive experience in the industry including lobstering, clamming, and netting elvers. He has served in local government, has served on boards representing fishing interests, and has experience as a State Legislator. He knows the industry and its problems and challenges and is prepared to fight for the fishermen. He is also for trade schools. He noted that everyone who gets a license in a trade becomes a small businessperson. It is a win-win for our graduates and the people they service. 

Paul LePage was the last speaker. He is interested in programs to help the working people of Maine. He would like to see after school childcare to help working parents. He wants to emphasize teaching trades in our schools. He talked about K-14 programs in Tennessee that serve their students well and train them for a career. He wants to lower taxes and to reduce electrical and fuel costs. These costs are especially punishing to elderly people and businesses in our state. He spoke about the drug issue and being tough on crime and having a system that respects and honors our police. The respect and honor statement received a round of applause from the audience. He stated that on day one of his administration he would take the fishermen’s fight to Washington by filing a lawsuit in Federal Court to protect their rights. He also wants to reinstate the health care workers that were fired and bring them into the system with back pay. He noted that Maine needs a change and to make those changes he needs like-minded legislatures who will work with him. He wants to replace what he calls a system of power, control, and mandates with faith, freedom and trust.