Democrat Sally Cluchey takes a closer look at Maine income taxes, claiming the lower-middle class should not be in the same tax bracket as the wealthy.
Serving as the Chair of the Bowdoinham Food pantry, Cluchey hopes to alleviate the pressure felt by Mainers as the cost of food continues to rise.
Independent candidate Peter Lewis, a Bowdoinham selectman and small business owner, did not respond to the Times Record’s candidate questionnaire.
Voters will choose one candidate on Nov. 8 to represent District 52, which includes Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Richmond and Perkins Island Township.
Sally Cluchey -D candidate for the Maine House of Representatives, District 52. Photo contributed by Sally Cluchey.
Sally Cluchey
Tell the voters about yourself.
Like all Mainers, I wear many hats: mom, small business owner, and community volunteer. My father was a fireman and taught science at our public school. My mother was our town’s first female Supervisor and later put herself through law school. After college, I worked for the U.S. Army developing a vaccine for malaria and worked nights and weekends as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. Today I live in Bowdoinham with my husband and our two children and serve as chair of the Bowdoinham Food Pantry.
Why are you running for this seat?
I’ve always looked for ways to serve my community. Now more than ever we need public servants who are willing to speak with everyone, build bridges instead of walls, and make living in Maine better and more affordable. I’ve knocked on nearly 2,000 doors in our district and spoken with hundreds of people, and it’s clear to me we all have more in common than we’ve been led to believe. If I’m elected, I will work to put those shared goals front and center every day.
What are the biggest challenges or concerns facing your town/district in the coming term?
Most of the people I speak with are concerned about being able to afford to continue to live in Maine. Many are retired and on fixed incomes, yet food, fuel, and property taxes continue to increase. They’re worried about being able to pay for groceries, heat their homes, pay their taxes, and age safely at home. Working Mainers are struggling to find housing and childcare and then struggling to afford it if they find it.
What are your top priorities if elected?
Finding creative, bipartisan solutions to these problems would be my top priority. One approach would be to reduce the income tax rate on Mainers earning lower salaries. Currently, if you make $54,450, you are in the highest income tax bracket — alongside people making $500,000! That is unacceptable to me. I’d also like to increase the number of home health workers in the state so more Mainers can age at home with dignity.
Peter Lewis did not respond.
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