Paul R. Nixon

158 Preble Street, South Portland

Education: high School and Maritime school

Occupation: Retired, U.S. Merchant Marines

Age: 54

Party affiliation: Republican

Political Experience: Chair, South Portland Planning Board. Attend and participate in City Council meetings and workshops.

Statement about candidacy: I will work hard for the people of my
district. Now that I am retired, I have the time needed to put into
such an important job. My goal is to make Maine a great place to live
and do business. I am always happy to talk to the people of South
Portland. If you have any questions, call me at 799-2451. I hope I have
your vote in November.

Stance on the following issues

TABOR: I am in support of TABOR. I think it’s the only way to stop
needless spending. It gives control of spending back to the people
where it should be.

Debt: I feel we should work on reducing the state’s debt quickly. I am
for keeping us in as little debt as possible. Less debt makes us
stronger and more attractive to businesses that are looking to relocate
here in Maine.

Education Funding: I think we are doing a fine job on funding. I
believe we can make some changes in the way that money is spent and
make it work harder for the education of our children.

Economic development: We should streamline a lot of the regulation on
businesses and make it more enticing and economically feasible for them
to do business here. That will stimulate the economy. I believe that my
plan to streamline regulation on businesses will benefit our district
as well as the state. It will promote good solid growth that will be
good for all of us.

Infrastructure priorities: We need to put the money that is raised
through road-use taxes into the roads and not allow it to be diverted
into the general fund. If we can do that we will see some improvements
in the roads and bridges.

Spending priorities: I can’t say that I have strong spending
priorities. What I would like to do is go to Augusta and manage the
taxpayer’s money in a proper fashion and make sure it is spent wisely
and efficiently.

Spending cuts: Without a doubt the Department of Health and Human
Services. That part of the budget is over-inflated and in my eyes it is
not managed the way it should be. The people in charge need to be held
accountable for all the spending.

I would like to see a complete audit of state finances and from that we
will be able to determine unneeded programs that have just taken on a
life of their own.

Goals to accomplish: 1.) Control spending. 2.) I will work on making
healthcare more affordable. That can be done by reducing the state’s
over-burdensome regulations on the healthcare industry. 3.) Make sure
our state takes good care of our veterans. These are the people who put
their lives on the line for us and we need to show we care about them.

As you campaign, what issues do voters bring up most often? The biggest
issue would be our tax burden. Where I live, citizens have been hit
very hard with increased property taxes, just because they are close to
the water. I will work hard to reduce the tax burden as much as
possible.

Ways votes can differentiate you from your opponents: 1.) I will not
vote to override a citizens’ referendum, as my opponent has done in the
past with LD1. 2.) I would like to see a minimum of 30 days residency
in the state before a person is able to collect welfare. My opponent
voted against it (LD1011). 3.) I am for the Tax Payers Bill of Rights
and will support it in the legislature.