Maine election 2022: Wheeler vs. Lavigne for House District 148 state rep.

Democrat Margaret Wheeler is running in the 2022 election against Republican Thomas Lavigne for the District 148 seat in the Maine House.

Margaret "Peg" Wheeler

Hometown: Berwick

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?

In Maine, women's rights to choose are fairly well protected currently so I don't believe Maine lawmakers should do anything other than protect those rights as they are.

The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?

This question is covering a whole lot of issues at once. The price of fuel is a global problem and dealing with it on a state level will be challenging. If elected, I would want to hear from veteran lawmakers what options there are. Electricity costs in Maine are high and there are many issues to be considered. Again, I would need to work with veteran lawmakers to learn what the bigger solutions may be, but in the meantime programs that can help fixed and lower-income families address these costs must be funded and must be promoted. The labor shortage can't be fixed until we bring down the cost of living in the state of Maine including many of the costs you've listed here. We need to make sure that communities in Maine are providing access to affordable housing. We need to find creative ways to help attract professionals and to help keep our own kids in the state. Programs that look at student debt reduction and offer other incentives may be a part of the solution. Inflation is a national issue, and I don't believe there is much that state lawmakers can do to change it, but they can support and promote programs that help to find ways to ease the impact on state residents.

What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?

I would like voters to recognize that during my previous 18 years of elected municipal service I made every effort possible to listen to what residents were feeling and needing. I have served on "both sides of the aisle" and the ability to work collaboratively is something I value. But I would be new, and I would need to learn. We're a state of hard-working people, many of whom work multiple jobs so I think it's important to continue to offer early voting and absentee voting for those who can't get to the polls. I also believe that as we see our Maine population diversify, that we need to embrace that diversity as part of the culture of Maine and part of the answer to filling jobs. I have been an educator for many, many years and I believe we need to support our teachers and find ways to pay them better or our children will suffer. Many of our local police officers are similarly underpaid. When teachers and police officers can't afford to live in the communities where they work, we have work to do. I have worked in veterinary medicine for over 40 years and this, like other professions, is impacted by the high cost of living in Maine and if we don't seek creative solutions, access to pet health care will become more challenging. I also believe that we will need to look at ways to mitigate costs associated with climate change. But I believe that Maine has always been a rather bipartisan state and I hope it can stay that way so that we can solve the complex problems we are facing.

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine election 2022: Wheeler vs. Lavigne for House District 148 state rep.