Why does a farmer run for Senate?

The Maine State Legislature is a citizen legislature. People don’t get elected to the Maine Legislature to get rich or gain power; they get elected to serve their friends and neighbors. The Legislature meets from January to about May or June each year, but legislators work year round in their districts.

Why would anyone want to do this, you ask? Well, I don’t know why anyone else wants to, but I can tell you why I do.

For the last 40 years, Maine has been moving in the wrong direction. With the exception of the last seven years, taxes continued to grow and regulations got more complex and more stringent. It became nearly impossible for the average Mainer to start a business or to continue running the business that their family had passed down to them. These difficulties are not something abstract to me – running Ricker Hill Orchards with my family, which has been in my family for eight generations, made it clear that something had to be done to reverse this trend.

I was first elected to the Maine Legislature as a representative in 2010, and have served the folks of my community for the past eight years. During that time I was proud to be a part of several key changes to improve Maine’s business climate and put in place policies to benefit hardworking, taxpaying Mainers.

LD 1, “An Act To Ensure Regulatory Fairness and Reform,” was one of the first items acted on during my first term, and it made significant improvements to Maine’s overly burdensome regulatory environment. There is a way to strike a balance between protecting our natural resources and encouraging economic growth. As a farmer, I know the importance of a healthy environment, but I also know that I can’t run my business effectively if the government has its hands in every aspect of business operation.

As we’re all aware, regulations aren’t the only issue harming business in the state – taxes are a huge issue as well. A prime example is Maine’s estate tax, which has wreaked havoc on families whose livelihoods depend on farming, fisheries and a variety of other businesses that are typically family-centric. These typically include businesses that require a lot of land and equipment. They are an essential part of Maine’s economy and employ folks throughout the state. Because the estate tax is based on infrastructure and not on revenue, often times businesses are forced to close when being handed down from one generation to the next because of an inability to come up with the funds to cover this overly burdensome tax. As a result, Mainers lose their jobs and we all lose a piece of our state’s heritage.

Maine’s estate tax exemption had previously been much harsher than the federal government’s, but I was proud to be a part of the effort to double that exemption in Maine and to implement a progressive rate structure for larger estates. As a result, it is now easier for Maine families to pass on businesses that have been around for generations.

I am also proud to have been a part of the effort to reverse the 3-percent surtax that passed on the ballot as a means to pay for additional education funding. Although only on the books for a few short months, this job-killing tax was already slowing Maine’s economy, discouraging investment in our state and making it difficult to recruit the high-level professionals that are so desperately needed in Maine.

I want to return to the Legislature to keep working on policies such as those, so that our friends and neighbors are rewarded for their hard work and not punished by an overreaching government. I’ve been a part of some great achievements in the Legislature, but more work remains to be done. Maine needs serious welfare reform, and we can certainly do more to lower taxes in the state.

The key to success for our state is to get the government out of the way; a smaller government in Maine means a bigger paycheck for Mainers.

That is why I am running – to ensure you, your family and your neighbors have the opportunity for success in this beautiful place we call home.

Jeff Timberlake, a candidate for Senate District 22, is currently serving his fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives representing District 75 which includes Leeds, part of Livermore and Turner.

If you would like to contact Jeff, he can be reached at 207-754-6000 or you can email him at jtimberlake_us@yahoo.com.

Political editorial ad paid for and authorized by Timberlake for Senate, Michelle Brown, Treasurer.