Timberlake and Sirois rematch in District 96

Photo:

Lawrence Sirois (D-Turner)

Photo:

Jeffrey Timberlake (R-Turner)

TURNER — The contest in House District 96, covering Hebron, Minot and Turner, is a rematch between incumbent Jeffrey Timberlake (R-Turner) and Lawrence Sirois (D-Turner).

Sirois held the seat from 2006-2010. In the last election Timberlake unseated him, receiving 54 percent of the vote compared to Sirois' 43 percent.

Timberlake, owner of Ricker Hill Orchards, Northland True Value and Northholder Inc. in Turner, is a former member of the Turner selectboard, a 35-year veteran of the fire department and was on the planning board for 16 years.

He says he is proud of the accomplishments the legislature and Governor Paul LePage have made in the past two years, and he intends to continue pushing for more regulatory reform. Timberlake says he was inspired to run in 2010 because of the damage regulation did to his business.

Sirois says he was "ready to run right after I lost," in 2010. He is frustrated with the LePage administration and the Republican-controlled legislature. He says he wants to bring the middle-class interests back to the forefront in Augusta.

With less than two weeks until the November 6 election, we asked the candidates to explain their positions on three important issues.

Economy

Timberlake says more regulatory reform is essential if the state wants to attract new business and help existing businesses expand. He says businesses shouldn't have to "jump through 8,000 hoops" and receive permitting from multiple agencies to be able to grow.

Sirois says the state should invest in research and development, pursue more alternative energy and emphasise education. He would support further state borrowing to invest in R&D projects.

Social Programs

Timberlake and Sirois both say reforming Maine's social programs to allow more flexibility to work without losing benefits entirely is a top priority.

Both candidates say current rules provide disincentives for people to seek full employment because they fear losing all their benefits if they work over a certain number of hours per week.

Timberlake says it's important to give a "hand up, not a hand-out" to people who need help – there needs to be a way to wean people off assistance.

Sirois agrees that beneficiaries should not lose their benefits immediately after returning to work.

Eliminating fraud and misuse in the system is also important, Sirois says. He supports hiring more fraud investigators at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Education

The two candidates also agree that Maine's public schools are important and need to be supported.

Sirois opposes further cuts to education and thinks recent cuts to Maine's Head Start programs are a mistake. Sirois stands against diverting state funding from public schools to private and religious schools.

To better prepare students for the future and improve the quality of Maine's labor force, Sirois says colleges, high schools and universities need to collaborate with the business community more.

Timberlake says he has respect and admiration for Maine's public schools, but they are being hampered by the federal No Child Left Behind law. He argues that Maine schools would thrive if NCLB and the testing it requires was removed.