My name is Josh Gerritsen and I’m running to represent Camden and Rockport in the State House. I moved to Camden when I was six years old and I’m proud to have attended our public schools, from first grade through high school. I left for ten years, but I came back to start a farm and serve our community. 

I served on the Lincolnville Select Board, Waldo County Budget Committee, Lincolnville Broadband Committee, the Transfer Station Board, Rockport Harbor Strategic Task Force, and helped save the historic Mary E. Taylor building, my former middle school, from being demolished.

I’m running for the State House because the cost of housing, healthcare, and electricity are out of control. Let me state the obvious: we are in a housing crisis. As I’ve knocked on countless doors in our community over the last 8 months, this is the number one issue that residents bring up.

You may think that the housing crisis doesn’t affect you, but that’s not true. Who is going to work in your favorite coffee shop, grocery store, teach your kids, work at the hospital, or god forbid, save your life when you dial 911, if none of these people have a place to live?

I will fight to tax second homes for out-of-state residents at a higher rate to lower property taxes, build more houses at a mass scale, and to regulate short-term rentals that are separate from primary residences.

Because houses are for living in, not for investments.

I believe in universal health care, and I will fight for a single-payer system here in Maine, while exploring working with other states in the Northeast. Canada’s national health care system actually started regionally as well. We have to start somewhere.

It’s time for big ideas, not small tweaks to a broken system. I believe that my experience working with people from all walks of life, Republicans and Democrats, on a variety of issues, has prepared me to be an effective Representative for you in Augusta.

I hope to earn your vote on November 3. Thank you.