Chris Johnson, of Somerville, is seeking reelection to Maine Senate District 13: Alna, Bremen, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Bristol, Edgecomb, Jefferson, Monhegan, Southport, Somerville, Waldoboro, Washington, Wiscasset and Whitefield. 

Chris Johnson lives with his wife and best friend, Valarie, in the house they built together in Somerville 30 years ago. Their two daughters Amanda and Danielle were raised and educated in Maine. In 2010, he became a grandfather twice. From extended family to community involvement, he has always believed in pitching in and helping get things done.

He is a graduate of Bangor High School and the University of Maine at Orono.

Chris' pastimes include reading, fine woodworking, camping, electronics, creating the occasional recipe, and playing with grandson, Calum, and granddaughters Adelaide, Marin, and Cecilia.

LEADERSHIP
State Senator from Lincoln County since February 2012
Director of IT for DeskNet, a small technology company based in Portland, Maine and Jersey City, New Jersey, for 12 years
Technology innovator and leader at Central Maine Power for 14 years
Elected to the Sheepscot Valley RSU 12 Board, 2009, 2012, 2015
Member of the Lincoln County Recovery Collaborative Steering Committee
Member of the Maine Yankee Community Advisory Panel
Member of the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission
Moderator of Somerville town meetings since 2000

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

In Maine, too many people are struggling to make ends meet, too many young people are leaving to find better opportunity, and too many children and seniors live in poverty. We can — and must — do better.

We need to build on Maine's strengths and create infrastructure to support growth in farming, fishing, boat building, clean energy generation, broadband and other technology-based jobs.

We need to ensure our local downtowns can foster a real sense of community, and that young families can afford a decent home, quality affordable childcare and know their children will receive a good education. I believe in that future, and I believe we can achieve it through vision, sound economic plans, and working together.

Elections don't fix problems. But electing people who have vision, make plans, and have a proven record of working hard to solve problems for Maine people by working with others is the way to get things done. I am seeking re-election to continue that work.

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

I don't believe in shifting a larger share of taxes onto those who can least afford it. So I will continue to oppose the cutting of income taxes at the expense of education funding and revenue sharing, because that undermines our investment in the future while shifting costs onto property taxes.

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

First and foremost, as good stewards, we must protect and conserve our wide range of natural resources. They are an integral part of what makes Maine special. Second, I would invest in local foods infrastructure and in helping farming and aquaculture realize their potential, as described in the New England Food Vision. And I would invest more in R&D projects like the University of Maine at Orono's current effort to commercialize the cellulosic nanofiber based materials into products and manufacturing processes. This project will likely yield good paying jobs to replace jobs lost in paper mill closings and enable Maine to supply a growing national market for construction materials.

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

Our fishing methods need to be sustainable, and we need to promote policies which help the recovery of fisheries, such as opening the St. Croix to alewife passage, a law passed in the legislature several years ago. Alewives are an important feedstock for other species and the St. Croix once had the largest alewife runs in Maine. In order to create successful public policy, fisherman and other fisheries experts must be active participants in the development of these policies.

I don't know why this question left out our vast resource of good soil and water supply for farming. It, too, must be used responsibly to achieve the New England Food Vision potential of providing half of New England's food supply. Farming should be done without adversely impacting our watersheds that are so important for clamming, oyster aquaculture, and other fisheries.

We will not reinvigorate the timber industry through aggressive harvesting practices on public and other lands, as the current administration has proposed. Responsible and sustainable practices are essential to the future of this industry. Despite the closing of many of our paper mills, timber remains an important industry in Maine. To be competitive, with decent wages and quality products, we must commercialize high value-added products from our wood resources and revamp mills to produce products that are in high demand on the national market. We need to invest in research and development. New Products like prototypes of innovative construction materials produced from cellulosic nanofiber in the laboratory will require further investment for their commercialization.

Mining has to be pursued responsibly. I have opposed weak rules for mining that would allow open pit mining of high sulfide and arsenic ore, creating ecological disasters in surface and groundwater that remain problems for untold generations. Our mining practices have to be responsible and protect our other natural resources, ecosystems, people and wildlife that could be affected by the mining project.

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

Maine people spend $6 billion annually on fuel for home heat, transportation, and fossil fuel based electricity generation. All of that money spent on fuel produced in other states or other countries is leaving Maine's economy. We are well positioned to both expand our use of in-state alternative energy and and, at the same time, reduce our energy consumption.

We need a comprehensive energy strategy that prioritizes bringing home energy efficiency improvements within the reach of many more Maine people, and producing more of our own electricity through solar and offshore wind. All these investment activities create quality jobs, and all of them increase our ability to afford living in Maine, while increasing our energy independence and putting more of our dollars back into Maine's economy. Public investment to advance these policies, especially revolving loan funds or other financial measures to make our homes more energy efficient are essential to achieving this important win-win vision for Maine.

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

Question 1, Marijuana legalization and regulation:
This is a very difficult question for me, understanding potential good and bad impacts of passage. I am leaning toward supporting Question 1 because many of the concerns with its passage depend not on the concept of legalization, but on the details of its implementation. With local control and opportunities for regulation included in the language it should be possible to address the bulk of the concerns. Perhaps most importantly, by bringing sale of marijuana into the light, the odds of its being a gateway to dangerous drugs is minimized.

Question 2, Education funding:
I support the state living up to its obligation to fund 55% of K-12 education, and this question would do so in a way that increases tax fairness. So I support question 2. In the last 12 years we have gotten close but never reached the legislative mandate for the state to fund at least 55% of total K-12 education funding nor 100% of Special Education. And in recent years the State of Maine has moved further from the goal, not closer. This initiative is the people's way of saying "here is how you are going to get to 55%". I believe in planning for things and working together to achieve them, which is why I introduced a joint order for members of the Education, Taxation, and Appropriations committees to meet and plan how to get to 55%. Unfortunately the order was amended by the Republican Senate majority to a study group adversarial to public schools, and consequently the order died. The coalition of parents, teachers and other organizations that worked together on Question 2 collected more than 95,000 signatures to put it before voters and get the job done.

Question 3, Background Checks:
Maine has a serious problem with domestic violence. And about half of all homicides in the state are domestic homicides. So while background checks on private gun sales may create an inconvenience for some, this is an important way to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, including domestic violence perpetrators, and to prevent the 1500 people who fail a background check at a federally licensed gun dealer from simply buying one through a private sale. In states where this background check loophole has been closed, 46 percent fewer women are shot to death. I strongly believe saving lives is worth the inconvenience.

Question 4, Minimum Wage:
The minimum wage in Maine has not increased in over seven years. Meanwhile the cost of household expenses has gone up significantly. This increase would be gradual, reaching $12 in 2020, and keep Maine's rate competitive with other New England states' minimum wages. Though some people think the minimum wage only affects teenagers, that's not today's reality. Two-thirds of those earning the minimum wage in Maine are adult women. And most of them provide the only household income. One in four Maine children under age 5 lives in poverty. No one working full time should live in poverty, but far too many Maine women, and their children, do exactly that. It's time to increase Maine's minimum wage.

Question 5, Ranked Choice Voting:
Ranked Choice Voting is equivalent to having runoff elections, but without the added expense, added delay, and drop-off in voter participation of separate runoff elections. It prevents spoilers and strategic voting, allowing everyone to vote for who they most want to represent them as first choice, and rank in their order of preference who they would vote for next if that choice were eliminated in a runoff. It encourages positive campaigning because winning may rely not only on being many voters' first choice, but also being other voters' second or third choice, depending on how close the election is. Lastly, it ensures that the person who wins has more support from a majority of voters than the alternatives, something we have lacked in 9 of the last 11 gubernatorial elections. And that has happened in races electing independents, Republicans, and Democrats alike. This is not a partisan issue, it is a campaigning and electoral process improvement issue.

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

People have different concerns, from property taxes to better paying jobs, to affordable health care coverage and the quality of education for their children. Some are dismayed at the example set for their children by our governor's recent behavior and the harm it is doing to Maine's reputation. Others are very concerned about Maine's growing epidemic of drug addiction.

I've responded by bringing people together to address drug addiction within Lincoln County. And I've been meeting with people in the Midcoast, Green Mountain Power's CEO, and leaders of the Aqua Ventus project to begin formulating a comprehensive energy strategy for Maine. I've met with researchers and leaders to learn more and to share my thoughts on how to revitalize other sectors of Maine's job market and economy. A vision for how we address all of these, and how we address Maine's demographic challenge (being the oldest state) are the topic of my most recent column titled "Building A Better State of Maine".

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 must address that demographic challenge by creating better jobs across all sectors, modernizing our infrastructure, including Gigabit Broadband, and developing policies that better meet the needs of young families. Cost is a major roadblock to post-secondary education for many. We must address higher education affordability, both skills and career training in our Community Colleges and degrees from our Universities. . As we sit down in the next legislature to discuss affordability we have to understand how state funding of higher education, tuition rates, Federal Pell grants, and state funded student assistance programs play out for students of different means. Then we need to make changes to achieve educational opportunity for all students — and without crushing student loans. It's important to Maine's future, and the future success of our young adults.

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

Some communities are doing a better job than others, largely through local efforts. But as the Maine State Chamber and Maine Development Foundation wrote recently, Maine must attract more young people and families to move here and be a part of revitalizing our workforce.

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.

I would have to say the ability to come together to reach the ⅔ votes in both bodies to accomplish important measures for Maine people, including passing budgets and avoiding shutdowns, in spite of the governor's opposition.

How would you define "good state government?"
Our state government is an institution of the people. It's ours. We all must hold it to responsible fulfillment of our expectations. Good state government is one which meets the needs of its state's people, provides for the public good, prevents harm, and charts a path for the state in which communities and people thrive, and the prospects for future generations to do the same remain undiminished.

Is there any other topic or issue you'd like to talk about here? Have at it!
Let's return statesmanship and civility to our public discourse. Recently some politicians have gotten attention for saying insulting, negative, and mean-spirited things, things that divide us instead of unifying us, things that are not true and that are intended to incite violence. Some have even belittled the sacrifices of servicemen and women, and Gold Star families.

The America I love cannot afford to lower the bar for our expectations of politicians and leaders to that level. It should not be acceptable. Maine has many distinguished statesmen and stateswomen in its history such as Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Senator George Mitchell, just to name two. So I leave you with the words of Senator George Mitchell as advice to leaders when he addressed a joint House and Senate session of the Maine Legislature: "Learn to listen, be patient, and respect those with whom you disagree." Let us reaffirm that these are our expectations of those who represent us or seek to do so.