Alan Casavant

Age: 56

Education:  Graduate of Biddeford High School, 1970; University of Maine at Orono, BA in Psychology, 1974; University of Southern Maine, masters  degree in New England and American Studies, 2003.

Occupation: Biddeford High School teacher

Party affiliation:  Democrat

Political experience:  18 years on the Biddeford City Council and one term in the Maine Legislature representing District 137

Why are you seeking reelection?  I enjoy the political process and finding solutions for community and state issues. I believe that I am open-minded enough to listen to all parties, respect for both Republican and Democratic points of view and have the experience to produce results for District 137.

What makes you the best candidate for the District 137 Representative? I believe that I have represented the District very well during the past two years.  I have responded to numerous constituents and always articulated the concerns and thoughts of those individuals to the proper department of staff member.  Perhaps not all issues were resolved to the liking of every person, but I believe that they knew that I did the best that I could in terms of trying to find resolution or satisfaction.  Additionally, when it became apparent, last session, that the state was having some financial difficulty, I personally initiated certain steps to save legislative money.  First, I declined to send mailings to my constituents, using instead email and newspaper formats.  Even the end of session mailing that most, if not all legislators send to their constituents, I did not send. Second, I decided not to use tax-payer money and run as a Clean Election candidate in this election.  While many view the program as being essential to good government, I believed that it was my duty, and not the state’s to fund my signs, my ads, and my brochures.  It was my attempt to be fiscally pragmatic in my small way.

Municipal spending: Municipalities must become more creative in their willingness to work with neighbors to provide services. Duplicative, redundant services is not cost efficient.  Because so many people, especially in this economy, cannot afford more taxes, the only recourse is to redesign government to be more efficient, or to cut services.  If services are cut, then it is the responsibility of the state or local government to prioritize, but the sad reality is that in any program cut, some individuals will be hurt.  We, as a community, must be very careful in any cutting, and we must know, very clearly, the ramifications of those cuts.

Growth and development:  Growth and development must continue, but it must be done with vision and an eye towards the future.  In looking at development, we need to consider environmental impact, but also need to be attuned to the needs of our workers and our families.  We need to encourage clean industry and use our unique landscape to attract workers and businesses who are attracted to our way of life, but who also understand the fragility and special qualities of that way of life.

Tax-reform:  Our current tax system is antiquated and based upon an industrial economy, which no longer exists in the state of Maine.  It needs a complete overhaul, with particular focus on property taxes.  Higher costs for education and city services are outpacing the ability of the middle class to pay.  The legislature failed, in the last session, to pass any meaningful tax reform.  Partisan politics, lobbying, and the varying needs of different sections of Maine played a huge role in the defeat of a new tax system.  That failure was my biggest disappointment.  I should note that I voted against the tax on beer, wine, and soda precisely because of the state’s failure to fix the tax situation. A whole package is needed, not just a few additions or deletions, here and there.

Economic development:  Our environment remains the key to our economic development.  It has to be protected, as whatever is lost today is not replaceable.  Our coastline, our forests, our mountains, our rivers, and our lakes need our vigilance, as people travel to Maine to see our unique landscape and wildlife.  We also need to encourage redevelopment of our cities and the providing of incentives for energy consumption.  Without persistent focus on weaning ourselves from fossil based fuels, our dependency on oil, especially in the winter months, will eventually cripple or seriously damage our economy. We need to actively work on changing our thoughts on energy.

Educational development: It is clear to me that the state cannot possibly continue to fund the explosive costs of public education, at the current levels and using the current process, consolidation is a fact of life. Administrative costs continue to eat away at a large portion of an educational budget.  That cannot continue in the present mode.  However, while I support the idea of consolidation, I disagree with the way it was implemented.  It was done too fast and forced improbable marriages with neighboring communities.  The result has been considerable frustration, anger, and confusion within SAD 71.  I admire the work of those involved in forming the RSU, but I also clearly understand their frustration as, I believe, the state did not do a good job in the creation, promotion, and implementation of consolidation.