LISBON — Rick Mason will represent Lisbon for his first full term in the District 56 Maine House of Representatives seat.
Rick Mason
Lisbon voters elected Mason over Democrat Martha Poliquin 2,385 votes to 1,554. Mason was the incumbent, but only held the seat for a year. He won a special election last November, just two months after the sudden passing of his wife Gina.
Mason’s son Garrett has also represented Lisbon in the State Senate as the District 22 representative and had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Mason, a small business owner, is a life-long resident of Lisbon. In a candidate profile, Mason said he was not in favor of universal health care for Maine residents, but would favor market-based approaches to health care. Mason cited “right to shop” and “right to try.” Both are approaches that aim to give the consumer more options, with the ability to seek less expensive care or try drugs that have not yet been fully been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
When it comes to the state’s opioid crisis, Mason has said he would like to see an “all of the above” approach. He’s suggested money isn’t enough, legislators need to make sure that treatment is available to those that need it.
Poliquin is a former Lisbon school board member, currently working as the school nutrition director with Falmouth schools. As someone with experience working in a school department, Poliquin hoped to advocate for funding and more communication at the state level to school districts.
Poliquin said a consistent presence in the education commissioner position would help. Maine has cycled through several education commissioners in recent years, and some school administrators have said they struggle to keep with the shifting priorities and messages.
Mason took about 59 percent of the vote to Poliquin’s 39 percent.
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