Portland's delegation feels urgency to protect Mainers after Trump election

Nov. 18—The State House delegation for Portland, one of Maine's most Democratic cities, is worried about how the federal election results will impact Maine.

The 10 delegates representing Portland in the state Legislature — two in the Senate and eight in the House — all Democrats, have varied levels of political experience, with one political newcomer, but they largely agree that their work is more urgent than ever.

"With (Donald) Trump at the helm and Republicans in power federally, the state really has to step up and take care of needs for people," said Rep. Grayson Lookner, who ran unopposed to return for a third term in District 113. "It's going to be up to the state to protect our most vulnerable and to not cooperate with federal programs that are going to be aimed at undermining peoples' safety."

In interviews with the Press Herald last week, many of those representing Portland said they were most concerned about changes to education, health care and social services that could have real impacts in Maine. They also said that, in a lot of ways, the presidential race has forced them to rethink legislative priorities.

"The winds have changed, and that's hanging over everything," said Rep. Edward Crockett, who won reelection for a fourth term in the House representing District 112.

Incoming Rep. Dylan Pugh said Trump's win plays a big role in how he will approach his first term. Pugh won Maine's 114th District and is the delegation's only newcomer. He first entered the Maine political scene last fall when he ran for mayor of Portland.

"My goal is to empower individual working-class families on an economic basis so that they have lasting power that will endure regardless of what's happening at the national level," he said.

State Sen. Jill Duson, who was reelected for a second term and will be the Senate majority leader, said while housing has always been and will continue to be a primary issue, education and social services are top of mind right now because she is worried about what might happen nationally.

"The urgency I feel on some of these issues has flipped, given what's happened at the federal level," she said.

POLICY PRIORITIES

Whatever unfolds nationally over the next few years, much of Portland's delegation continued to name housing as a top legislative priority.

Lookner said he plans to put forth several housing-related bills during his next term, including one to help municipalities finance creating their own mixed-income housing developments.

He'd also like to see municipalities more equitably shoulder the homelessness crisis. Lookner, who also ran for a City Council seat but lost to Ben Grant, said Portland is doing more than its fair share of work to provide services, so he wants to make sure other municipalities are chipping in and that Portland is adequately reimbursed for General Assistance, which helps those on low incomes cover their cost of living expenses.

Rep. Michael Brennan, who represents Maine's 115th District, and Rep. Sam Zager, of the 116th District, also cited changes to General Assistance reimbursement as a priority.

Pugh said he wants to see more people buying homes in Maine, and he has some ideas about how to lower the barrier to homeownership. He hopes to pilot a first-time homebuyer assistance program and to build a state financial institution with the help of local credit unions that would give out favorable, low-interest loans.

Brennan chaired the House Education Committee for the last four years and said he is particularly concerned about President-elect Trump's plan to shut down the Department of Education.

"That would impact tens of thousands of students in the state of Maine. So that's an immediate concern," said Brennan, who was unopposed in his bid for a fourth term.

He said the House has a history of shooting down bills that would ban books or bring guns into schools, and he is optimistic that the Democrats' majority in both chambers will keep proposals like those from coming to fruition.

But he is also concerned that Mainers will lose health care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as Trump has threatened to do, and that women may not be able to access essential reproductive health care if a national abortion ban goes into effect. Brennan said he hopes to do whatever he can at the state level to help Mainers retain access to quality health care and education.

Lookner said he hopes to propose a bill that would refer at-risk youth to the state's Health and Human Services Department in an effort to keep them from entering the juvenile justice system and ending up at Long Creek Youth Development Center.

"Anything I can do to keep as many kids as possible out of there is a priority," he said.

Other priorities ranged from climate change mitigation to aging.

Duson said she wants to support traditional economies like lobstering and help more Mainers age in place. Maine is the oldest state in the nation with a median age of 45, while Portland is slightly younger with a median age of 38.

"I'm an older, empty nester, homeowner. So the part of housing that is about how we make sure I have the opportunity to age in place is really important to me," she said.

Lookner said he's interested in creating a state climate superfund program where major polluters pay into the fund that can be used for climate mitigation work around the state.

Brennan said he wants to change how sports betting parlors are approved. After seeing so many recreational marijuana shops open after legalization, he said he's worried the same will happen with sports betting.

"I have not been happy with the proliferation of cannabis stores in Portland. I'm hoping at some point that a number of them will go out of business. ... I don't want to see a similar proliferation of online sports betting facilities popping up," he said.

COMING TOGETHER

Pugh, the only freshman representative from Portland, said in the days since his election that his colleagues have already reached out to offer support while he learns the lay of the land.

"I'm trying to do the most work possible to be effective. I want to get into the mix and get things across the finish line even by the end of my first term, and the other delegates have been helpful already," he said.

Crockett emphasized that even in a divisive political environment, it's important to continue to reach across the aisle and pass bipartisan legislation.

"There are very few things that go straight partisan line in this Legislature. Bipartisanship should be a priority, and I'm confident that's the priority of our caucus," Crockett said.

Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross and Reps. Yusuf Yusuf, Charles Skold and Matt Moonen — who was chosen as House majority leader this week — did not respond to questions about their upcoming terms and legislative priorities.

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