A New Session Begins in Augusta

The New Year and a new legislative session have begun in Augusta, with many new faces and a new alignment of political power. Once again, I am humbled to have been sent by my friends and neighbors in District 92 to represent your concerns and your ideas in the Legislature.
Hearing from you is the most important ingredient in a successful session for me, so I will work hard to keep you informed about issues and solicit your comments and ideas.

Once again, I will be serving on the Health and Human Services Committee which will likely be one of the settings where the new political agenda in Augusta will be considered and developed. I will remain committed to finding that balance between serving the Maine people who have the greatest needs and living within our financial resources. I felt we struck that balance in the last session and I hope we can achieve the same result this year as well.

The challenges will be great. Our economy has not yet recovered and state revenues are down. Last year, federal stimulus monies helped bridge the gap for some of our necessary programs, but those resources will not be available in this budget cycle. Instead, we must find ways to set new priorities, concentrate on the direct services that people needs and eliminate unnecessary and unproductive administrative costs. I believe we can achieve that balance and will be committed to finding such solutions.

The incoming administration is committed to two broad principles -- finding ways to expand the economy and job opportunities for Maine citizens by encouraging our businesses to grow, and insuring that Maine taxpayers do not face additional burdens. I strongly support both of those agenda items and will be working hard with other members of the Legislature and the LePage administration to meet those goals -- because they are in the best interest of all Maine citizens. The devil, as always will be in the details but I think these important agenda items can and must be addressed.

Striking the right balance will be essential. Government cannot do it all -- in fact, it cannot even do most of it, but it does have a key role to play in providing essential services that protect the safety and health of our communities and our neighbors. Setting priorities will help us find that balance. We need to eliminate the unnecessary burdens and expenses that bog down an efficient government while maintaining the protections that are vital to a healthy economy, a healthy environment, and the Maine way of life we all cherish.

In future columns I will be laying out some of the specific ideas and legislation I will be proposing in this session in order to encourage our dialogue and get your best thinking on these matters. One thing I heard during the campaign is that people are very concerned about taxes and particularly property taxes. Rising property taxes often hit those on fixed incomes and personal budgets that have no margins -- people who are least able to afford the increase because such taxes are not based on income or earnings. To that end, I pledge now to all my neighbors in the River Valley that I will not vote to support any budget proposals coming out of Augusta that will have the effect of raising our local property taxes.

We have capable and committed leaders in all the municipalities in the River Valley, and I want to be sure that we don’t make their jobs more difficult by cutting state programs, lowering state taxes and passing the burdens on to local government to finance. We must find a better way, and I will not support balancing the state’s budget on the backs of municipalities or local property tax payers.

I look forward to your ideas and our ongoing conversation throughout the session. I’m doing everything I know to give you up to date information. If you have questions or concerns, please e-mail me at petersonhouse08@gmail.com, call me at (207)776-8051, or you can follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/PetersonForME or. Finally, you can visit my website that will soon be fully operational at -- http://www.petersonforme.com/.

Our connections are the best way to make me the most effective legislator on your behalf. Thanks again for your vote on confidence. I want to earn that confidence everyday as I serve the River Valley.