Christina “Tina” Riley

Democrat

Office Sought: Representative – District 74
Age: 49
Occupation: homemaker, licensed electrician
Education: AS in Industrial Electrical/Electronic Technology; Bachelor of Applied Science w/minor in Business Administration
Family: Married to Shawn, with two sons, Shane and Bryan
Hometown: Jay

Political experience

I have never run for any office. I was appointed to the Jay Budget Committee and served for two years, and I served on the Local Workforce Investment Board in this area in the early 2000s.

Why are you running for office?

I’m running because I love this community; the people who live here embody the small-town Maine values that I grew up with. I love their work ethic and their commitment to family, community, and country. When one of their own is struggling with loss or illness, or if there’s a project for the school or some other cause, citizens, community organizations, and local businesses turn out in droves to offer support. My neighbors feel like extended family to me.
Our current Representative, Paul Gilbert, asked me to run for his seat, as he is term-limited. After learning more about the job, I began to realize that being our Representative in Augusta would be a great way for me to give back to a community that does so much for so many.

• Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
  • No

    If we eliminate income taxes, the tax burden shifts to sales and property taxes. Property taxes are already hurting our poor and elderly people; those tax bills go up even if a retiree didn’t get a cost-of-living increase, or if the homeowner’s job was cut. Income taxes are not fun, but they are less painful since the bill is in line with the taxpayer’s actual income. Our sales tax is quite low compared to other states; I would like to keep it that way if possible.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • No

    I am not opposed to the principle, but the current initiative is cumbersome, expensive, and nearly unenforceable. It will create a burden for those who follow the law, but many (perhaps most) will disregard it altogether, making it easy for buyers who would be turned away with a background check to simply avoid the whole procedure. I would support backgrounds checks if there was an easier and less costly way for law-abiding citizens to comply than what this initiative would create.

• Minimum Wage: In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
  • Yes

    People who work should bring home enough pay to support themselves; our tax dollars should not be needed to subsidize their wages. When a very poor person earns a little more, they don’t need as much public assistance, and they will spend that money (most often locally), fueling the economy. We need that. This initiative increases the wage in reasonable steps, so businesses will be able to adapt. It has helped other states’ economies, and I think it will help ours.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • Yes

    I think marijuana is probably less of a threat to health and safety than alcohol, and I don’t see the gain in spending so much money on enforcement, so this initiative makes sense. I like that it forbids marketing aimed at children, and that it will include a 10% sales tax – enough to bring in some money, but probably not enough to push the business back into a black market. I would have preferred for it to have outlawed the selling of marijuana-based “edibles” which are sweetened or candy-like, to help keep it away from children.

• Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?
  • We can’t say we are doing enough until people stop suffering and dying because of heroin and opiates. If we make assumptions about the reasons this is happening, we will make policy mistakes that will cost both money and lives. The state needs to have a collaborative approach based on evidence. The experience of those who deal with this problem every day – police, social workers, teachers, affected families, healthcare workers, clergy, and social scientists – is our best resource for learning. As we get a better understanding of the many contributing issues, we can change policies and direct resources to support community efforts to prevent addiction and enforce laws to stop those who are benefitting from operating here.

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