Michael Dennis McClellan

Republican

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 66
Age: 56
Occupation: Executive Director, Maine Statewide Independent Living Council
Education: Bachelors completed, most of a Masters
Family: Married to Michelle 33 years, children Maggie and Pat
Hometown: Raymond

Political experience

3 terms Maine House of Representatives, 1 term Raymond Select Board including time as chair, 2 terms Raymond School Board including tie as chair.

Why are you running for office?

The state and country are at a crossroads. We have been able to move Maine forward in the past few years with tax reduction, welfare reform and other positive moves. It would appear all issues do not seem to resolve with a final vote, but come back over and over until implemented. Logic and long held values are cast aside. I am looking to return to join the representatives seeking to put Maine on the right track and keep it there.

• 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?
  • Other

    I support the end of the income tax. I would like to see Maine audit itself to see how much government should not be funding. I would rather not raise any taxes but instead free up the business community to have more success, thus helping our economy. Freeing them up means much less regulation. Less government, more local control.

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

    ….the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

• 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?
  • No

    We need to think through this one. When Seattle passed this law last year, restaurants began closing before the bill was implemented. If this law passes, Mane will lose jobs as has happened whenever this law passes. If you want more pay for employees, we need to reign in the taxation of our businesses as collected by the state government. Allow businesses to return to a time they paid more to get good workers, paid for benefits. The cost of government has taken that away from the business community and then government demonized businesses as political cover.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No

    It is clear what this will do to our society, why are we even considering it? A recent national study again confirms what we all know – that pot has negative impact on health, it gets in the way of being productive (education, work, life). It is a gateway drug. It also would appear we are not prepared as a society to deal with many new realities if it does pass. I will be voting no.

• 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?
  • No we are not. I believe most issues in Maine and this one come from changes in attitude within our society that have normalized so much. We have allowed government to become our caretaker and devalued the need for family, parents, norms and what has worked for centuries. The addiction and overdose problem is just the latest thing we see in public. We need to educate young children, we need to look at laws that can be so harsh, there is little incentive to change and we need to give people hope though getting back to having more opportunity to succeed through valuing family/work/success for all.