Two state representatives and a rheumatologist from Peaks Island are fighting for the Democratic nomination to represent part of Portland in the Maine Senate.
Rep. Ben Chipman, Rep. Diane Russell and Dr. Chuck Radis will compete in the June 14 primary for Senate District 27, which covers the eastern half of the city and its islands.
The winner will be considered a shoo-in to win the general election against Republican Mark Lockman and Green Independent Seth Baker in November, because of the party’s dominance in the city, where there are about 26,000 registered Democrats, 6,900 Republicans and 3,000 members of Green party.
The seat is being vacated by Democrat Justin Alfond, the former Senate president and current Senate minority leader, who cannot run again because of term limits.
Russell is also term-limited and cannot run for re-election to the House of Representatives. Chipman, who is in his third term in the House, having served as an independent until registering as an Democrat in September, could run again for his seat, but said he is “ready to take on more responsibility.”
ƒRadis, meanwhile, has been cutting back on his medical practice in order to run for elected office for the first time.
As health care issues, such as substance abuse and Medicaid, become front and center in State House debates, Radis believes his knowledge would be invaluable.
“So much of what our state legislates on has to do with public health, and I felt that I would have a good, strong voice for that,” said Radis, 63.
Specifically, he would like to expand MaineCare, especially to include mental health services, and to mandate cost controls on hospitals to help keep medical expenses down.
He’d like to see the treatment of people with narcotic addictions shift from just using suboxone and methadone to focusing on counseling and support groups.
Radis is also an advocate for public education and wants a tight limit on charter schools so they don’t take money away from traditional public schools. He would also work to make sure immigrants and asylum seekers find a welcoming environment in Maine.
He believes he has the background and temperament to advance the Democratic agenda.
Being an outsider is another reason he thinks he would be more effective than an established politician.
“I’m concerned there’s a track record with the other two candidates that they haven’t always been as polite or conciliatory to the other side,” he said.
Chipman, however, believes the seat requires someone with experience who has proved himself.
“I’ve got the skills and the ability,” he said.
During his time in the Legislature, Chipman co-sponsored a bill to expand drug treatment and rehabilitation, worked to stop cuts to faculty at the University of Southern Maine and led an effort to impeach Gov. Paul LePage for his threat to pull funding from the Goodwill-Hinckley school if it hired Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves.
Chipman, 40, is a public policy consultant and property manager – and, according to him, an effective leader who can pick up where Alfond leaves off.
He would happily take on the role of keeping Portland’s delegation on the same page, he said, “so we’re all working cohesively to get as much done as we can for the city.”
If elected, Chipman would like to revisit different forms of tax relief, like the circuit-breaker program and homestead exemption, and look at ways, such as a lodging tax, to raise money from tourism.
He also would like to see the state open drug addiction treatment centers, which he believes would cost less than incarcerating people who get caught with drugs and do more to solve the problem.
“We need to look at it as a public health issue,” he said. “It’s destroying a lot of lives and it’s driving up crime here in Portland.”
Focusing on drug addiction treatment, he said, could also be an avenue for coming to a compromise with Republicans on expanding MaineCare.
One way Russell envisions funding treatment is through the taxation of marijuana, which she has supported legalizing “before it was popular” and launched the campaign for voters in the state to decide in November if it should be.
She’d like to see that money help fund schools, as well.
Russell, 39, was instrumental in getting another issue out to voters in November – whether to establish a ranked-choice voting system for electing state officials.
Her other accomplishments as a legislator include making changes to Efficiency Maine that saved homeowners money when heating costs were at their highest, getting unemployment insurance to help business owners pay their staff instead of eliminating jobs during an economic downturn and, on the lighter side, making it legal for roller derby participants to knock into each other.
Looking forward, Russell said she wants to see the Equal Rights Amendment added to the Maine Constitution and to close the wage gap between genders. She also wants to see the minimum wage raised.
Russell, who works in public relations, said she doesn’t doubt any of the candidates will “vote the right way,” but she will define the agenda.
“I’ve actually delivered outcomes,” she said.
Self-professed as “smitten with Portland,” Russell has a hard time watching the people who helped turn the city into what it is today struggle to continue living here, whether it’s elderly people on fixed incomes who can’t afford property tax increases or longtime renters on Munjoy Hill.
“We’re such a great city, and we need representatives in Augusta that are going to fight to make it better,” she said.
CORRECTION: This story was updated at 10:25 a.m. on May 31, 2016 to clarify that there is also a Green party candidate.
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