Owen Casas, I-Rockport, is seeking the House seat for District 94, which comprises Camden, Rockport and Islesboro.

Owen Casas was born and raised in Washington, Maine, and now lives with his wife, Marci, and three children in Rockport. He is a honor graduate of the University of Maine, and is currently perusing a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Positive Organizational Development. 

Owen is a longtime stone mason and currently sits on the Rockport Select Board. He worked previously as a commercial fisherman and active duty U.S. Marine Corps, including a tour in Fallujah, Iraq.

He is running for District 94 as an Independent because he believes citizens on all ends of the political spectrum have something to offer and that an inclusive and moderate discussion that brings the public together is the proper approach for positive change in the community and state.

He is welcoming of, and desires, open dialogue from all members of the community. Owen's key priorities are the following: veterans, heroin and opioid recovery/ treatment, proper funding of the public education system, and environmental and economic sustainability.

What are the most pressing issues facing Maine today, and how would you like to see them resolved?

Heroin and Opioid Epidemic

After finding two needles on the side of the road close to my house and more needles while participating in the spring and fall Keep Rockport Beautiful roadside clean up, I started asking some hard questions about the impact on our community.

LET'S MAKE THIS A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION. We must increase education on the detrimental effects and addictive nature of opioid/heroin use for youth and adults. Increase the number and availability of recovery beds. Increase the number of qualified therapists that can hold group sessions around addiction recovery. Expand insurance coverage for "out of network" recovery options so more folks can financially afford the recovery effort. Work with criminal justice system to have prison and jail be a place for violent criminals, not recovering addicts. Work with law enforcement to stem the flow of drugs coming into the state. 

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction and or addiction recovery, please be in touch with the Knox County Recovery Coalition. They have trained up a new group of Recovery Coaches that are dedicated to bringing our communities to a healthier place. knoxrecovery.org or call (207) 558-3525.

Diversified and Resilient Economy

As a state we find ourselves in a spot where our workforce is undertrained for the job openings we have and the jobs with little training required aren't as abundant anymore. Encouraging seed money investment in new entrepreneurial ventures that build on our existing or budding economic sectors falls in line with our historic small business economy. Investment in training and re-training programs is a must in this high tech age. Also, if we are working on attracting out of state companies to set up shop here we should work with the University and Community College systems to ensure we have degree programs that fit with what the industries are looking for in new employees.

How will you protect the local (municipal) taxpayer as you help shape a state budget?

Municipalities only have one large scale revenue source: property taxes. On that topic there are two things that the state can do to even out the impact of property taxes.

One is to finish the discussion about public school funding and finally have the state fulfill its mandated responsibility to pay for 55 percent of public education. Where in excess of 65 percent of your property taxes goes toward public education, having the state pay its fair share will bring the burden on municipalities down.

Two is Municipal Revenue Sharing, specifically, the percent that the state has been taking to pay down state debt. The entire construct behind Revenue Sharing was to minimize unreasonably high property taxes by giving back some of the revenue generated within our municipalities. Because there wasn't a proper "meeting of the minds" between the state and municipalities when the Revenue Sharing fund was raided... over many years, less and less has been making its way to the municipalities, creating an imbalance of taxation onto property. This hits home especially hard for the long time local families who have desirable land and our senior population that lives on a fixed income.

What policies would you create and promote to build Maine's natural resource-based economy?

I go into natural resource consumption conversations with one overriding question in my mind: Will these harvesting practices allow for our children's children to also be able to harvest this resource? If the answer is yes, good on yah, you have sustainable harvesting practices. If the answer is no, let's revisit the plan and see where the gaps are.

What would the policies look like? See question #5 below.

What policies would you create and promote to sustain the natural resources of this state (fisheries, timber, mining)?

I'm smart enough to know that I don't know everything. I've also spent enough time with fishermen, loggers, and quarrymen to know that anything I came up with on my own would probably not get us where we need to be and would just be another bureaucratic regulation not fully thought through. I'm a big fan of collaboration, so the policies work for the private sector but not at the expense of our environment and natural resources.  

That said, I have some thoughts. I'd like to see the fishing industry diversify into offshore farming of sea kelp because they already have the infrastructure, it is a winter time harvest close to shore, and the kelp itself filters and stabilizes our waters while providing an additional revenue source. Regarding the timber harvest, I'd like to see better geospatial planning on replanting of clear cuts. If land must be replanted, let's do the best job of putting the right plants in the right places.... they don't call 'em swamp maples for no reason.  

What is your position on alternative energy and public investment into it?

I am a very strong proponent of renewable energy. Folks can argue peak oil all day long but the reality is that there is a finite amount of these fossil fuels in the ground and burning them does pollute the one planet we have. Considering that alternative energy is the way of the future and that the fossil fuel industry benefits hugely from subsidies, I would support public investment in renewable energy initiatives.

What is your position on the five citizen initiatives that are before voters Nov. 8?

First off, my vote on these following questions represent my opinions only. This is different than how I view voting on the Select Board or in the Legislature, where you are voting on behalf of others. Additional layers of consideration are given to my voting when I represent others versus just myself.

Question 1, Hmmmm, still undecided. I think it is a step in the right direction but am concerned with the language.

This is a tough one for me. I'm in favor of legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes by those 21 years or older. I have concerns that this bill does not set up Maine for an industry fitting with our history, meaning, smaller scale style growing operations where you get to "meet your farmer." I'm debating this initiative because of the amount of amending it will need on day one. I have concerns that our high functioning medical marijuana industry will take a hit (no pun intended) and have to compete against out of state industrial interests with deep pockets. I look forward to supporting legalization of marijuana but have not yet been sold on this language.

Question 2, School Education, YES

I'm voting yes on question 2 but I'm not happy about it. Identifying a specific group of people (those making over $200K annually) to pay for a specific project, as worthy as education is, is something I oppose in general. However, we have seen a tax structure grow in Maine that does highly benefit the wealthy and doesn't provide enough to cover the costs of public education. For those reasons I will support it BUT I'd like to see the state tax code revisited so the wealthy pay their fair share and once the tax structure is evened out this law could be struck.

Question 3, Background, NO

I've gone back and forth about this one. First off, I spent over four years as an active duty US Marine and I am in favor of background checks... seems like a no brainer. Similar to question 1 though, this bill would have to be amended on day one. As simple as the bill is (only 4 pages) it does not take into account many factors specific to our great state. If this was a bill simply about background checks I would support it, however the regulations on temporary transfers are unnecessarily burdensome and don't fit with reality. I would encourage everyone to read the bill, then read the Secretary of State's interpretation of the bill. All that information (and info on all the citizens initiatives) can be found on the Sec. of State's website: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html

Question 4, NO

I would like to support a minimum wage increase but not one tied to the "tipped service employee" industry. Eliminating the "tip credit" and replacing it with a "tipped wage" could have serious impacts on our restaurant and tourist based economy. I agree with the Maine Chamber of Commerce, Maine Innkeepers, and Maine Restaurant Associations that in increase in the minimum wage is needed but not in the proposed form. 

Question 5, YES

I support Rank Choice Voting and think that it would have a good home here in Maine.

What issues are emerging from your conversations with the public as you go about your campaign, and what solutions do you envision?

Many folks seem to be disheartened by the level of conversation and quality of the two major candidates for President. The major party options are causing a lot of people to disengage from the process. Voting for the lesser of two evils is not a fun place to be and I think a lot of people would like more options.

On the local side, many folks are concerned about the potential increase in property taxes due to new building projects: Rockport Public Library, Camden-Rockport Middle School, and MidCoast School of Technology. There is an understanding that these projects are needed, however the price tags for them are high. I've worked hard on both the Library and Middle School projects to see them succeed but at a cost that is reasonable for the tax payers and offset by private donations.

A recent Maine Dept. of Labor report indicates the work force will get even older, and more jobs will require post-secondary education.    How will you work to build a knowledge-based economy when so many of Maine high school graduates do not seek higher education?

If the question is about high school graduates not wanting to seek higher education, I'd say the early years of education could be more focused on curiosity, experimentation, and investigation to create a lifelong love of learning, versus focusing on standardized tests that stress students. That and making community and four year college affordable would increase enrollment. Also, when did it become a bad thing to work with your hands? I work rocks into beauty for folks and they pay me well for it. We will all need our toilet, fuse box, chimney, or engine worked on, so encouraging younger folks to explore these necessary trade options are worthwhile.

If the question is about attracting more younger professionals to stay, come home, or call Maine their new home, we should continue to brand Maine and seek out new industries to join our economy. Don't think inside the box about it either. Look innovatively at our existing industries for overlap with other similar or supportive segments. See what style of resources they might need, find an appropriate level of government involvement, preferably little, and unleash the can-do Maine attitude.
 

Is Maine doing enough to accommodate the successful assimilation of immigrants?

Probably not. There is always more that the state and communities could do to ease the hardships of transitioning into a new society. I would look for programs that work with the various immigrant and refugee communities to see what preexisting skill they have that could be turned into community based entrepreneurial ventures. These new businesses would look for partners and apply for capital like all small businesses do. Collaborating with communities to showcase new ideas, thoughts, and resources they would benefit from doesn't cost much, promotes exchange of information, and enhances economic development.

What is the best legislative activity that has occurred in Augusta over the last six years. This does not have to mean legislative action, but can include collaboration, research, etc.

When 20 of the 33 vetos from the Governor were overridden it showed me that many of our legislators, on the right and left, know that we need to work together to get things accomplished. Although I wish the solar bill had passed, mustering two-thirds support to override the Governor 20 times was necessary and showed the fatigue of some that supported Governor LePage's efforts in the past. I look forward to continuing with this momentum as a legislator working on non-partisan legislation.

How would you define "good state government?"

Good state government to me is a respectful and robust competition of ideas. It has to also be a collaborative effort where the positive aspects of the ideas that rise to the top are combined into one idea that is shared. This does require compromise but shoot, this is democracy, not monocracy. To me, no one political ideology or party has a monopoly on good ideas and I think that if more of us were open minded to others ideas we would be astounded at what we could come up with together.

Is there any other topic or issue you'd like to talk about here? Have at it!

Man didn't Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett have us thinking about another undefeated season. Really, the Bills... really. Eh, we'll survive. Go Patriots!