Melissa has been endorsed by the Maine AFL-CIO, the state federation of over 160 local labor unions representing over 40,000 working men and women and retirees across the state. 

Maine AFL-CIO

Members of the Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989 are proud to endorse Melissa Hinerman for House District 10

Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989

Hinerman for House

      While there may be few contested races in the June 14 primary election in Washington County, voters will have to study up on the new electoral districts for the Maine House of Representatives, as they have changed following the redistricting that was approved last year. Profiles of candidates in any contested races follow.

2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

     
Two Republican candidates -- Elizabeth Caruso and Bruce Poliquin -- are seeking to challenge Democratic Congressman Jared Golden in the November general election to represent Maine's 2nd Congressional District. Also running in the general election will be independent candidate Tiffany Bond, a Portland attorney.

Elizabeth Caruso

     
Liz Caruso describes herself as a local elected official, small business owner, former executive director of the local chamber of commerce, registered Maine whitewater guide, mother who homeschools her children and engineer. 
     
Ideals described by Caruso on her website as foundational include educational freedom, including freedom from critical race theory agenda, medical freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, protect life -- preborn to elderly, stop human trafficking and enforce election integrity to stop partisan attempts to sway election results. 
     
Her priorities include: to stop "big tech censorship" and big government overreach; to restore individual rights, including educational, medical, religious freedoms, freedom of speech, worship and the right to bear arms. She would focus on economic opportunities reducing tax and regulatory burdens facing small businesses and would reestablish Maine's labor force to keep up with consumer demands, and she would support free market, diversified energy solutions which protect the environment and American sovereignty. 
     
Caruso states she would fight for fiscal responsibility by balancing the budget. "Stop taxpayer dollars from being stolen for pork and ludicrous special interest projects." 
     
In addition, Caruso says she would: protect Maine lands, industries and Mainers' ways of life; secure the borders; stop illegal immigration; protect American citizens and cities from influx of "unvetted" persons; provide resources and support to border officers; and support domestic law enforcement with accountability. She says she would fight for veterans and military families to get them the care and support that they deserve.

Bruce Poliquin

     
Bruce Poliquin states on his website that he is running for Congress "to bring common sense back to Washington." While he does not list specific priorities, he believes the country's problems are serious and increasing "because liberal politicians with extreme beliefs are making policy decisions that hurt families and our small business job creators here in Maine. They are harming our economy." He adds, "We have rising inflation and small businesses struggling to survive because Democrats running Washington are attempting to artificially control our economy with free government cash through unemployment benefits which never seem to end." 
     
"We have our borders being overrun by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants," Poliquin states on his website. "They are bringing COVID infections and illegal, deadly drugs across the border ... We are on pace for millions of illegal immigrants this year alone. Our nation is struggling to control a new delta variant, but we have illegals testing positive and being bused all over country. On top of this, Maine has set records for overdose deaths mostly from fentanyl, which mostly comes across the southwest border." 
     
Poliquin believes that the liberals in Washington support the defunding of law enforcement and that "even more extreme elements are behind critical race theory, CRT. They want to teach kids to treat each other differently based on skin color and tell young, white kids that they are inherently racist just based on how they are born. It is wrong." He also states that the Democrats in Washington wish to restrict and in some cases end Second Amendment rights.

GOVERNOR

     
Former Republican Governor Paul LePage of Edgecomb will be challenging incumbent Democratic Governor Janet Mills of Farmington in the general election. Independent candidate Sam Hunkler of Beals also will be on the November ballot.

MAINE SENATE DISTRICT 6

     
Incumbent Republican Senator Marianne Moore of Calais will be challenged by Democrat Jonathan Goble of Cherryfield in the November general election to represent Maine Senate District 6. The district will still cover all of Washington County but will add 10 more Hancock County towns, as Senate districts have to be within 5% of the average district population of about 38,900.

MAINE HOUSE DISTRICT 11

      Only one of the Maine House districts in Washington County includes a contested race in the June 14 primary. Republicans Kendall Alley of Machias and Tiffany Strout of Harrington are running for the House District 11 seat that approximately covers the former House District 138 that has been represented by Rep. Robert Alley of Beals, who is not running for reelection because of term limits. The winner will face Democrat Roland Rogers of Jonesport in the November general election. 
     
The new House District 11 includes Addison, Beals, Centerville, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington, Jonesboro, Jonesport, Machias, Milbridge, Roque Bluffs and Whitneyville.

Kendall Alley

      Born in Jonesport and educated in the Beals/Jonesport school system, Kendall Alley is passionate about why he has decided to run for the state legislature. "I decided to run so I can be a part of restoring government to its rightful owners, 'we the people,'" says Alley. "That begins by trusting your representative to hear you and have your back." The U.S. Army veteran is a self taught carpenter. 
     
Alley believes there are key areas that require constant attention when it comes to the district's development. "We need to focus on lowering taxes, developing our workforce, improving our schools and infrastructure all while maintaining a law-abiding and safe community," says Alley. "We all know growth is important to keep our communities strong and viable, but we also need to have a willingness to let growth happen at a responsible rate." 
     
When asked about specific ideas to battle the problem of drugs this county is experiencing, Alley says, "I would create a task force including law enforcement personnel and those familiar with this epidemic, including those in recovery. This information would then help us learn how to prevent the drugs from getting here and why people start down the road to addiction and what it takes to recover." 
     
Alley says that two other issues critical to this area are listening to the needs of today's fishermen and taking care of the elderly and veterans. "The ongoing fight our lobstermen and women are having with the federal government and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an important one," says Alley. "I believe our state government has dropped the ball. We need to get behind this industry 100%." 
     
With regards to the elderly and veterans and with the recent reversal of Maine Veterans' Homes' decision to close two facilities, Alley believes the legislature should continue to remain vigilant in seeing their needs are always met.

Tiffany Strout

     
Looking to bring a reasonable voice from an everyday working person to Augusta is Tiffany Strout. "I hope to bring real life experience to those who have never visited, worked in or tried to raise a family in Washington County," says Strout. "When you have people making laws that influence your everyday way of life, it is important to bring local values and traditions to the discussion." 
     
Having grown up in Harrington, Strout received an associate's degree in criminal justice from University of Maine at Augusta and is currently the business development manager for a start-up company in Ellsworth and the events coordinator for Wreaths Across America. 
     
Strout believes economic development requires a multi faceted approach and that any development needs to fit within the way of life Downeast. "We need businesses of all sizes, decent roads and bridges that allow people to safely commute, energy costs that allow local businesses to compete and a well educated workforce that includes trade jobs essential for this area," says Strout. "A very real threat to our economy are the ridiculous regulations impacting the commercial fishing industry. Keeping this industry alive and functioning keeps thousands of people employed across the state." 
     
With regards to the drug problem, Strout would work directly with law enforcement to help add to their resources, and she believes the county requires its own district attorney. She also believes education is key to combating the drug issue. "The most important thing as a society we can do is to educate kids on the dangers of drugs, encourage them to be active members of society and to take pride in their accomplishments." 
     
Along with her passion for the fishing industry, Strout also believes focus must be given to the area's blueberry industry. "We need to work to make sure the owners are competitive, their fields are productive, while not letting government subsidized 'green energy' projects like solar and wind farms take over," says Strout. "These projects are destroying the landscape, limiting our ability to fish and farm by taking available land and water out of the mix."

OTHER MAINE HOUSE DISTRICTS

     
For the new House District 9, Republican John Chambers of Calais will be facing incumbent Democratic Rep. Anne Perry of Calais in the November election. The new district covers the municipalities that had been in the previous House District 140 and adds Eastport, Meddybemps and Grand Lake Stream. Other towns in the district are Baileyville, Baring, Calais, Indian Township, Pleasant Point, Perry and Robbinston. 
     
Republican Kenneth "Bucket" Davis of East Machias is the only primary candidate running in the new House District 10. He will face unenrolled candidate Melissa Hinerman of Machiasport in the November election. The new District 10 covers many of the towns that were in House District 139, which has been represented by Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias, who also is not running for reelection because of term limits. District 10 includes Alexander, Berry Township, Big Lake Township, Cathance Township, Charlotte, Cooper, Crawford, Cutler, Dennysville, East Machias, Edmunds Township, Greenlaw Chopping Township, Lubec, Machiasport, Marion Township, Marshfield, Northfield, Pembroke, Princeton, Trescott Township, Townships 19 and 26, Wesley and Whiting. 
     
For the new House District 8, Republican Tracy Quint of Hodgdon will face Democrat Kevin Ritchie of Lee in the November election. The Washington County towns of Codyville, Danforth, Talmadge, Topsfield, Vanceboro and Waite, along with a number of unorganized territories, which were in House District 141 that extended down to Dennysville and has been represented by Kathy Javner of Chester, are now part of District 8. The district includes a number of Aroostook and Penobscot county municipalities.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

     
Incumbent Republican Matthew Foster, the district attorney for Washington and Hancock counties, is being challenged in the primary by Republican Steven Juskewitch of Dedham. Also running in the general election is independent candidate Robert Granger of Blue Hill.

Matthew Foster

     
Matthew Foster has served as district attorney for eight years, having been first elected in 2014. Previously he had served 15 years as an attorney in Maine. He did not respond to requests for comment on his positions, but in his 2018 statement to The Quoddy Tides he said that his top priorities "will be to continue to prosecute drug traffickers, domestic abusers and sexual predators to the fullest extent of the law and to continue to advocate for additional law enforcement and treatment resources to be allocated to District 7."

Steven Juskewitch

     
Steven Juskewitch is a criminal defense attorney who has previously run for the District 7 district attorney position and was deputy district attorney. For 36 years, he prosecuted sexual assaults, sex abuse, shaken baby cases and serious felonies as assistant and deputy DA in Cumberland, Hancock and Washington counties and handled municipal, civil, appellate and criminal defense cases, including homicides, as a trial attorney. 
     
Juskewitch notes that he was also a complaint justice in Cumberland County, granting or denying arrest warrants, search warrants and involuntary civil commitments before he became a prosecutor and moved Downeast in 1989. He says that the first step in correcting a plethora of problems in the district attorney's office is the primary election on June 14. "Presenting only police officer testimony to the grand jury to charge a felony and not requiring an examination of an alleged crime scene or interviews of witnesses is a bad practice and violates victim's rights, as well as the duty to do justice. Dismissing a manslaughter charge two years later and then an OUI after a jury is chosen due to alleged insufficient evidence, along with the host of other dismissals, isn't right. Opposing a valid effort for better prosecution in Washington County without any real attempt to improve the situation is a breach of the obligations owed to the citizens living there." 
     
As deputy district attorney and an army officer, Juskewitch says, "I was responsible for everything that happened or failed to happen in my area of responsibility. Failing to take charge of serious sexual assaults, child porn possession and indescribable animal cruelty is an abrogation of responsibilities that will not occur if I am district attorney." 
     
Juskewitch is a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served 28 years initially with the 82nd Airborne Division, then overseas in Turkey and South Korea, and ended service with mentoring mid career officers in leadership, communications and problem solving at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

OTHER COUNTY POSITIONS

     
Incumbent Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis of Cherryfield is running unopposed, as is Washington County Commissioner John Crowley of Addison, who represents District 3. 
     
Also running unopposed are Jill Holmes of Jonesport for county treasurer, Lyman Holmes of Machias for judge of probate, Darlene Perry of Machias for register of probate and Tammy Gay of East Machias for register of deeds.

 

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