Dave Miramant, D-Camden, is seeking the Senate seat for District 12, which comprises Appleton, Camden, Cushing, Friendship, Hope, Isle au Haut, Matinicus, North Haven, Owls Head, Rockport, Rockland, St. George, Thomaston, South Thomaston, Union and Warren.

Dave Miramant is a State Senator for District 12, coastal Knox County. As part of a military family, he moved often finally settling in Maine as soon as he finished high school. During high school he was involved in rallies that brought awareness to issues facing society such as ourenvironment, natural resources and social justice.

He studied these issues further at the University of Maine at Farmington and achieved his Bachelor of Arts in biology.

During his career as an airline pilot, Dave spent the time during his travels around the world understanding the common problems of humanity, developing solutions for them, and finding ways to implement them. Dave had the chance to practice his ability to listen and incorporate a wide variety of perspectives.In his work for social change, he became a founding board member of Maine Coast Men. This organization formed to help men collectively overcome unhealthy societal messages. In 2000, was elected to the Select Board in his hometown of Camden, the Maine House in 2006 and the Maine Senate in 2014. In these positions, he was able to use the leadership skills he developed in business, as a captain for Delta Air Lines, as a boat delivery captain and in his nonprofit work.

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

Our aging population, comprehensive tax reform and jobs that stay in Maine.

We need to welcome the young folks who want to work in service jobs that an aging population needs. There are places of strife in the world with families that would love to raise their children in Maine and provide those jobs. Many of our young people   leave to follow a job but hope to return after a time, and after experiencing other parts of the country and of the world. We are trying to encourage a variety of good paying jobs for them to come back to. 

Tax policy has been developed a piece at a time without consideration of the consequences. We have put the burden of paying for our state on the backs of our middle class. We need to expand the taxes that bring in money from our visitors and make sure we are progressive in our income and property taxes. This can be done by having a better property tax Homestead exemption for residents, and a fair upper income tax for those who earn larger amounts without the ability to use deductions to pay less than those earning far less.

 By creating jobs relating to solar and other alternative energy sources, we can keep them here in Maine. We will reduce emissions that are causing environmental problems, reduce the variability of the cost of energy and build our communities with good paying jobs. I am also trying to lure computer tech jobs here to take advantage of our fiber optic network and the relatively low cost of living compared to the existing tech centers. Many of the innovative engineers who went to the cities are starting to have families and want to raise them in communities such as we have in Maine. If we can develop a support and incubation center here in the Midcoast, we can plant the roots that will get this started.

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

Push to have the state meet the 55 percent funding for education and enhance the Homestead exemption to give residents a break on their property taxes so that they are not driven out of their homes when they retire.  

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

Continue to protect our natural resources for the health of our people and animal populations. Support the infrastructure  of our parks to encourage and preserve the wildness that draws tourism. Our community colleges can train the skills necessary to take advantage of all the opportunities that tourism brings. 

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

A model for conservation has been our lobster industry. The various practices that are in place have kept this one fishery from being taken over by the federal government. The policies that have been put in place for other fisheries depend on recovery that will be difficult or impossible with the effects of climate change that we are already seeing. 

With modern technologies and an eye to getting all the value out of our forests for every tree cut, we can create jobs here in Maine and keep the most money flowing here.

Mining has so far been a loser for the states that have allowed it. If cleaner mining technologies are developed, and any company that engages in the practice posts a big enough bond to cover all cleanup costs, we could talk about it then.  

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

This technology is non-polluting, easy to site and will create local jobs. It can reduce the cost of electricity and combine  with heat pump technology that will stop our addiction to highly polluting  fossil fuel for heat and power.

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

Question 1. 

Marijuana has so many healthy uses and has been regulated by misinformation. It has driven the supply into the hands of unscrupulous dealers who sell harmful and addictive drugs that cause a great deal of pain and suffering in our communities. By selling it to adults, taxing it and removing it from the criminal justice system, we will be able to focus our efforts on the opioid addiction problems we are in the midst of.   It also has pain relief and cancer healing properties that we will be able to explore more fully when labs have access to it for study.

Question 2.  

This falls under the comprehensive tax reform that I mentioned previously. It is another piecemeal attempt at fair taxation that is driven by the income tax cut that was not funded properly by the Governor and a previous legislature. The cut drove more of the burden of education onto the property tax payers who were already being hit too hard by the legislature ignoring the 55 percent mandate that a previous Citizens Referendum had achieved. 

This will help create tax fairness until the big picture of tax reform can be accomplished.

Question 3. 

In Maine, we have a long history of respecting gun rights and a strong hunting tradition. I have no interest in taking guns away from law-abiding citizens or creating any unnecessary burdens on them. 

However, I also know it's far too easy for criminals from out of state who cannot obtain guns where they live to come to Maine and buy one through Craigslist or Uncle Henry's — no questions asked. I also know that a quarter of homicides in Maine come from domestic gun violence. I support the referendum because if a simple background check can prevent even one of those homicides, or keep a gun out of the hands of a criminal, it's worth it. 

That said, this is by no means a perfect referendum. If it passes, the Legislature will immediately need to iron out the kinks to ensure families and friends can continue to hunt or target shoot together without hassle. 

Question 4. 

This is a great start at bringing minimum wage earners into the economy. As the cost of everything has risen, less jobs have moved past the minimum wage and folks working 40 hours are eligible for state aid. Also, by eliminating the tipped minimum,  workers will get fair pay when business is slow but workers have to work anyway.  It is a great referendum and ultimately ties the minimum wage to the rate of inflation. 

Question 5. 

Ranked choice voting is a great way to make sure that the winning candidate has a majority of the votes. It also has the effect of cleaning up campaigns since voters will not react favorably and choose a candidate for their subsequent choice if they run a nasty campaign.

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

1. Property taxes and other barriers to remaining in our homes are big concerns that need to be addressed (see above)

2. I have heard a great deal of concern about our failure to embrace alternative energy sources and find ways to make them more affordable for everyone. (see above) 

3. Many conversations have been about the behavior of the Governor. While some folks hoped he would follow through on ideas he expressed, they now believe his behavior has risen to a level of incivility beyond what is expected of someone in our highest office. Discussions about how to deal with this will continue. 

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? 

We have asked the community college system to address this and they have responded. These colleges have the most affordable tuition available without a scholarship. The days of attending college without a particular goal are gone. With the high cost of education, our young people are more focused on how to accomplish their goals. When they find a particular skill that they need training for, we need the college system to provide it or create it, and we need to provide the funding to help them complete the training. This will help to overcome the barrier to better wages.  

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

It is mixed. Where there communities of immigrants in Lewiston and Portland, they are maintaining their culture while learning ours. They are doing the jobs that we need workers for, and becoming leaders in their cities. We still have some who are xenophobic and racist but a greater majority are welcoming and helping our new residents to thrive.

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.

Whenever the Legislature is able to put partisanship and ego aside it is a victory for the people of Maine. I saw that firsthand when the Senate members worked to pass my Ferry Safety Bill and the Humanitarian Moose Permit Transfer bill. Since these were my bills I was able to watch every step in the process with intimate detail. I watched legislators step up to put people first. When this sort of teamwork overrides partisanship it brings out the best in the representatives and the institution. My goal would be to have each representative realize that the best solutions have a piece of each person's idea.

How would you define "good state government?"

One that recognizes the common needs of our people and works to  provide them as efficiently as possible.  These needs are not going to be met by any for-profit company so we need to have commitment and collaboration by good people to make government work effectively. Changing and challenging  times make it all the more important that we work together to solve the the issues facing the people of Maine. 

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

I see the role of Senator as being informed about the needs of my district and the state as a whole. I know that I want to hear from my representatives so I make sure that I am keeping everyone informed at every step. By being available and responsive, I make sure I know what is happening and that I am on track with the solutions I am putting forth. It is an honor and pleasure to represent you in Augusta.