Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Maine State Legislature, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state. Candidates responding with their individual written answers will have their responses stored in the Pilot’s 2022 Election Resource Guide.

Crystal Robinson, a member of the Republican Party, is seeking election to represent Maine House District 44, which includes Hope, Union and Warren. She is running against William Pluecker; read his questionnaire here.

Please provide a concise biography of yourself, and state why you are running for political office.

• Born and raised in Thomaston and Cushing

• Maiden Name: Daggett

• First job at 8 years old raking blueberries; at 10 years old started working at Ifemy’s Diner

• Married to Christopher Robinson for 42 years, friends for 50 years

• A mother and grandmother

• Lived and worked in Switzerland for six years in the Procter & Gamble marketing department

• French & German teacher K-12

• Co-owner & office manager at Daggett Builders, Inc.

• Have served on school boards and Board of Assessors

• Became an EMT, volunteered as an ambulance attendant for five years

• Worked on two major Land Trust projects

• Organic Blueberry Farm in Hope — permaculture certified

I am running for office because I believe in Maine’s people and support our Constitution. I want to live in a state where the rule of law applies equally, where we look to the people for solutions, and where we treat each other with respect. I support transparency in government. I want a government that inspires us to be the best we can be, using education not force.

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

1. The cost of living

People are very concerned about the cost of living. Retirees are worried about their ability to buy food, medicine, and fuel. Working people tell me they are working harder and longer simply to get by. They are as upset as business owners about the lack of workers. Businesses tell me they have applicants from away, but Maine’s cost of living, especially housing, prevents them from coming here.

Government overreach, corruption, and ignoring our Constitution are the root causes of today’s inflation. Our government has been on an unprecedented spending spree for the last two years. Our dollars have no value, they are simply Federal Reserve Notes. The word note means debt, debt to the Federal Reserve. The more dollars we print, the more debt we incur. The whole system is in direct violation of our Constitution. We cannot undo that overnight.

I propose the following as a start to resolving our cost-of-living crisis:

Take our responsibility to teach children about our government and our Constitution seriously. By the time they graduate the average student should fully understand our laws, their rights, and their responsibilities as citizens.

Limit our state’s emergency powers. They were overused, causing harm to our economy, our children’s education, and our psychological well-being. We will suffer the consequences for years to come. I support education not force.

Prohibit lawmakers from using their positions to make themselves and others rich.

Require full transparency in government. Where is our money going?

2. Protecting the most vulnerable

Many people need a quick hand up, not a long-term hand out but they are denied because the system doesn’t allow for it. I hear stories of elderly people freezing in their homes because their requests for assistance were turned down. We can do better than that, perhaps by giving communities more decision-making power over welfare spending.

Then there are the deep-seated issues, such as our drug problem and our foster care system, that can only be solved with the concerted and combined efforts of both lawmakers and Maine’s citizens. Healthcare workers tell me that one in four children are born with addictions. Their brains are chemically altered, there are few treatment options. This is heartbreaking.

Protecting the most vulnerable includes the messages we send to our school children. Schools should be neutral places, free of politics and personal agendas. All children should be respected and taught to treat others with respect but short of that, we should leave the messaging up to their families.

3. Our environment

We need clean air, water, and good soil to be healthy. Our Individual choices collectively make a tremendous impact. I would focus on educating and inspiring people to make better choices.

Our landfills are overflowing. We could reduce this by eliminating planned obsolescence. It may be profitable for manufacturers in the short run but we all pay the price in the long run.

Prohibit the sale of harsh chemicals, such as Round Up, to the average person. It would be better if professionals didn’t use them either but at least they have to be trained to use and store them properly.

We should take a hard, unbiased look at our energy policy, put all options on the table and consider each one carefully.

Maine is grappling with a housing shortage, and legislation has been crafted — and passed last year — at the Maine Legislature to try and ease the situation by allowing greater density in all municipalities. Those municipalities now are analyzing this new state rule to understand how it applies to local zoning ordinances. Do you think this was an appropriate law to pass?

What makes Maine so unique and desirable is the fact that we still have distinct towns, like Union, built around the common, Warren with the river flowing through the middle, and Hope Center with its store as the anchor. Allowing for greater density in municipalities is a good goal.

Unfortunately, the legislation that was passed last year stripped power from municipalities but didn’t resolve the housing issue. It was typical of the top-down, quick fix mentality that caused the housing shortage in the first place. We need to have the infrastructure in place before we increase housing density or we will have issues with sewage, water, and utilities. Infrastructure requires careful planning and foresight on both the community and the State level.

We put the cart before the horse, just like we are doing by pushing solar without a plan. The law requires that the components be recycled properly but there are no recycling plants in all of New England and, to my knowledge, there are no plans for one in Maine. We’ve had solar panels for awhile now. They are full of very toxic components and they are going into our landfills.

Do you have other ideas, and proposals, to help ease the housing problem?

We all need to take an objective look at why and how housing became so unaffordable in Maine. We need to get creative. We need to work together. This is an issue that can be resolved.

What legislative committees would you like to serve on and why?

I am still mulling that one over. Right now, I am focused on listening to people as I go door to door. They are the people I would be representing. I started at the end of January, went out most days, and have canvassed pretty much every street in Hope, Union, and Warren. I have notebooks full of people’s concerns and ideas. People have been so nice. I love going door to door.

When people share their ideas, I ask them if they would be willing to work with me on implementing them. I am hoping that people, I haven’t met, will reach out to me but if not, I will continue going out and about to meet as many people as possible. It takes time but it is worth every minute of it and I am learning a lot.

Maine’s economy relies on small and micro-businesses. How will you help the entrepreneur succeed in this state?

An entrepreneur needs to be free to create within a stable environment with a predictable rule of law and without excessive regulations. They need to be able to draw from a good pool of employees. They need infrastructure. Utility costs, land, and construction costs have to be affordable. Taxes need to be reasonable. Laws need to be straightforward and easy to comply with. The justice system has to be fair. There has to be a good job market. Even entrepreneurs need a well-paying day job while they work on creating their dream job.

When people call the state to ask a question, they need to actually be able to speak with someone knowledgeable and not get the runaround. There was an article a while back about how Burt’s Bees wanted to stay in Maine and expand their business but because getting information from the state was so onerous and complex, they started looking elsewhere. They contacted another state, N.C., I think, and were immediately sent a welcome package. Everything they needed to know and do was laid out and easy to follow. That was the deciding factor for them. Chris and I have run into similar issues ourselves. There was little coordination between state agencies. The rules were unclear and inconsistent. It was extremely frustrating. These things can be fixed.

What are the greatest economic, cultural and social strengths in your district, and how will you support them?

This is a beautiful state with a cleaner environment than many other states. Maine is one of the safest states in the country. It is a wonderful place to raise children. There are a lot of good people here who work very hard and who also serve their communities.

Our laws support farm stands and we have liability protection for farmers. People can buy raw milk here, grow gardens right in town in many places, and process their own meat. We allow hunting and fishing. We have an excellent public trail system. It is no wonder that people are moving here. I will support keeping these things intact.

What are the greatest problems in your district, and how do you intend to address them?

The lack of well-paying jobs has always been a perennial problem in Maine. Many of our young people leave the state for better opportunities. Now we have jobs, even good jobs, and people don’t want or need to work. This will drive businesses out of our state.

It isn’t even healthy for the psychological well-being of our citizens. People need to feel useful. Those who are working feel like they are being screwed. Pardon my English but I hear that all of the time. Mainers used to be known for their work ethic and integrity. That is still true but it is less common.

I question the push toward solar and wind without studying the environmental and economic impact. We were told at the Warren Planning Board meeting that the proposed solar farm will receive no government subsidies. I’ve learned some things that make me very skeptical about that claim. I already addressed the lack of recycling plants in a previous answer.

Do you support construction of the 145-mile Central Maine Power transmission line from Quebec to Massachusetts?

I am hoping that, as a legislator, I will have more access to unbiased, factual information than I do now as a private citizen. This issue has been very politicized; I don’t know what source to trust. I would have to take the time to research this thoroughly and consider hydroelectric power from Quebec as part of our overall energy strategy.

The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services recently received funding from lawmakers to fund five public defenders to travel the state representing indigent defendants. Its executive director says that is “not a solution, it’s a patch" and that the agency needs an estimated $51 million to open public defender offices in all 16 counties. Should the legislature be looking to fund more public defenders?

I would like to understand this issue and research it before I can speak with wisdom.

At least four county jails in Maine have combined to record nearly 1,000 phone calls between jailed defendants and their attorneys. What action would you like to see the legislature and governor take to ensure this never again happens?

I would ask why the law was not enforced and who was responsible. Then I would hold those responsible accountable.

Maine is one of 16 states that does not offer parole after abolishing it in 1976. Should the state reinstate the possibility of parole?

I support making an in-depth study of our whole corrections system. I got to know some prisoners pretty well. Our shop was close to the prison, we had tons of work, and employees were hard to find. It was my idea to try hiring prisoners. I was the one who went to the prison to conduct the interviews and I was the one who drove them back and forth from the prison to work.

We only did it on a limited basis and on certain jobs. We had to be very careful for the sake of our customers and for our reputation. As a woman, I didn’t want to chauffeur men I didn’t feel safe being alone with. My instincts proved correct and I never had an issue. In fact, we had some great conversations and I learned a lot about the system. There is definitely room for improvement.

There is a statewide shortage of nurses willing to work at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. What more should the state be doing to attract workers?

Eliminate the vaccine mandates. We lost a lot of good workers because of the mandates; now we are paying exorbitant rates for travelling nurses to come from other states. Trust our healthcare workers to make the right decision for themselves and their patients. Other states are very happy to hire the healthcare workers we fired.

Make Maine more attractive to them and their families. They will choose to live and work in a place that is best for their whole family.

The Maine Dept. of Transportation is focusing more on active transportation (bike and pedestrian, as well as public transportation). How would you like to see this implemented in your district?

When I ask people what concerns them in general, I hear “the roads” more often than not. No one has mentioned bike lanes or public transportation. Multiple people in Union brought up the need for sidewalks. One person told me he thought they were unnecessary. Our roads destroy our vehicles. The money we spend maintaining our roads would save us a fortune on repairs and maintenance. Our vehicles would last longer and this would be better for the environment. The Warren Rifle Range is an environmental disaster caused by the need to dispose of the sound deadening components in our vehicles.

Many of our roads are not safe. We have a lot of dangerous roads, driveways with little visibility, and speed limits that haven’t been adjusted to factor in the number of homes that have been built in the last 20 years. I hear a lot of complaints about that. Now that I have been in and out of pretty much every driveway in my district, I can attest that we have some work to do to make our roads safer. We could replace intersections with roundabouts. Roundabouts keep traffic moving and are safer. They also force vehicles to slow down and we could use more of that. The white lines on all roads need to be repainted every year. We have long, dark winters, and foggy nights year-round. The white lines are a big help.

We don’t have public transportation but we do have some van services that take people to and from the doctor, etc. The bus system to and from the airport is great. A lot of clever people carpool. These are things we can support. Bike routes would be nice, but the towns in our district would have to make some major infrastructure changes. It is the same for traditional public transportation. We have more pressing issues to tackle.

What is your position on abortion?

Our Constitution supports life. I support life. However, there are many mitigating factors that will never be able to be legislated; the law must reflect that. I believe personal responsibility must be revived in our State. I propose we educate our children about what our Constitution endorses, support parents in their role of developing them into responsible citizens, and support those who choose to keep their babies.

What is your position on Gov. Janet Mills' energy policy?

I am giving this a lot of thought and am doing my own research. I am also focusing on listening to people as I go door to door. I’ve been attending town meetings. I definitely want the cleanest form of energy possible for a price that people can afford and am open to all options. I question whether our state’s energy policy is unbiased and was thoroughly researched.

If a voter expressed concern to you about voting security in Maine, how would you respond?

Rank choice voting is confusing and unconstitutional. People don’t trust what they don’t understand. Same day registration does not allow time for proper voter verification and for records to be transferred from one town to another. Article II, section 4 of the Maine State Constitution sets clear guidelines on absentee voting but it is being overused.

Voting machines should be simple mechanical devices that cannot be connected surreptitiously to the internet. There are security issues with drop boxes. We need to return to a simple voting system that is generally accepted by the vast majority of our citizens. The perception that we do not have voting security definitely exists. Denying it will only exacerbate the division in this country.

What is your position on gun control?

I support the 2nd amendment.

What is your vision of Maine in 20 years?

My goal is to empower young people with the tools they need to make this State the best it can be.

Free space! Is there anything else you want voters to know about you or your vision not addressed through this questionnaire?

I want to know more about you, your concerns, and your ideas. Please contact me. To learn more about me, see my website, CrystalforMaine.com and check out my blog.