The two Democrats seeking the nomination in House District 58 have marked differences in their platforms.
Richard Fournier, 57, of Windsor, has three issues driving his candidacy: assuring health insurance coverage, working to preserve unions and aiding people faced with losing their homes because they lost their jobs.
Lori Fowle, 49, of Vassalboro, says her prime goal is to improve education. She did not like the top-down approach to school consolidation, among other things. Fowle also wants to work to improve the economy as well as school funding, and make sure there are jobs available for graduating college students.
“Watching what’s going on in Augusta this current year has made me feel we need in Augusta someone with common sense and an independent voice,” Fowle said.
The winner of the June primary will face the current seat holder, Republican Karen Foster of Augusta, who has no primary opponent.
District 58, which serves Vassalboro, Windsor and the northeast section of Augusta, has been Republican since 2005, the same year the makeup of the district changed with reapportionment.
Both Democratic candidates are running publicly financed campaigns and are well-grounded in municipal service.
Fournier, who spent 32 years in the military reserves and recently retired after 25 years as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service in Augusta, has served three years on the Windsor school board and six years on the town budget committee.
Fowle has served nine years on the school board and three on the town budget committee. She owned Prime Cut hair salon in the Waterville Concourse for 10 years before selling it in 1998 to stay home and raise her three children.
The older two are in college and the youngest is in high school, so Fowle opted to run for the Legislature.
“School consolidation is what really forced me into giving it serious thought,” she said. “The kids are grown enough, and I have the time to put into it.”
Fournier said he calculated that his health insurance policy cost $13,000 when he was employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He worries that people earning $25,000 can’t afford insurance policies like that, so he’s promoting a single-payer system for the state.
“People can’t afford insurance, but the hospitals can’t turn them away,” he said, a move which increases health costs for all.
A fan of collective bargaining, he wants to protect unions and retain the right for workers to unionize.
To prevent laid-off workers from losing their homes, he said he’d work toward a plan to provide interest-free loans to help with mortgage payments. That would keep those workers housed without causing a heavier burden on public housing programs.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
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