DELIVERING A FAIRER TAX SYSTEM WITH REAL ACCOUNTABILITY ON SPENDING
Mainers are not just frustrated by taxes. We trust the government less and are told to pay more. My plan is to lower the pressure on families, especially with property taxes, and make government prove it is worth what it costs. Public services in Maine rely on three main taxes - income, sales, and property.
Taxes are how we invest together in the Maine we want to live in: good schools, safe communities, reliable infrastructure, and services that support families at every stage of life. When the system works well, it is fair, predictable and worth what it costs.
Maine's current tax system is not meeting that standard. The State is not being a good steward of our taxpayer dollars. State and local governments operate out of alignment, driving property taxes higher than they need to be. And too many state programs, including tax expenditures, exist without regular review of whether they're delivering results. Every dollar collected and spent needs to provide value to the taxpayers. Maine depends heavily on federal dollars to fund basic services, which makes us very vulnerable to decisions made in Washington that we do not control. To make Maine a place where families can afford to stay and build a future, we need to look after ourselves better. The best way to ease pressure on everyone is to grow our economy by making Maine affordable for young families, attractive to new workers, and supportive of the job creation that lets more people contribute to our common investment.
There is a lot of work to do, and I am focused first on reducing pressure on property taxes and eliminating corruption and wasteful spending in the budget. Property taxes fall hardest on people with fixed incomes, older Mainers, and small business owners. By providing immediate relief to those who need it most and partnering with local governments to provide services that Maine people rely on, we can squeeze more value out of every tax dollar.
#1: Eliminate corruption and make every tax dollar count
Before government asks you and your family for more of your hard-earned money, it should prove it is spending wisely. As Governor, I will reform the state budget process to bring more discipline, transparency, and value to how Maine spends your tax dollars. I will also create the Office of Inspector General, reporting directly to me, to investigate any allegations of corruption so your voice is not drowned out by insiders and backroom politics. I will review spending from the ground up to cut waste and corruption. Subject agency programs to comprehensive examination each biennium so every program has to justify its cost and results. We can’t afford wasteful spending and we must be accountable for every taxpayer dollar spent. I will have open hearings to the people on the front lines. Including state workers, service recipients, and community organizations in budget hearings alongside agency leadership, so decision-makers hear fromt hose closet to what is working and what is not. Under my leadership we will return to consensus budgeting but working with the Legislature to build a two-thirds budget, and publishing the budget in plain language.
#2: Deliver meaningful property tax relief
Too many Mainers are looking across our state lines for cheaper taxes. You should not be taxed out of your home. As Governor, I will expand property tax relief for Maine homeowners through stronger income-sensitive protections and an expanded homestead exemption. The Legislature recently increased the Property Tax Fairness Credit - up to $1,500 for most households and $2,000 for Mainers 65 and older. That's real money going back to families who need it. But a bipartisan task force studying property tax relief unanimously recommended in January 2026 that Maine apply the credit directly to property tax bills as they are paid, rather than requiring families to wait until they file their returns. That recommendation was not acted on. As Governor, I will finish the job. The credit will offset the tax bill directly, at the moment it arrives - delivering relief when families actually need it, not months later. This is the fastest, most targeted relief available. It reaches homeowners and renters alike. Relief should be delivered when families need it.
#3. Coordinate state-local government functions to cut costs
When Augusta pushes costs downhill, your local property tax bill goes up. As Governor, I will fully fund revenue sharing and strengthen the state-local partnership so Augusta stops pushing costs onto towns and property taxpayers. State law requires Maine to share 5% of sales and income tax revenue with municipalities - a commitment that has been raided too many times. I will maintain that floor, as well as the statutory requirement to fund at least 55% of the cost of public education. I will also establish incentives through incremental increases in revenue sharing for towns that step up to deliver statewide priorities such as: streamlining permitting to speed housing production, regionalizing services like EMS, dispatch, and public works, or partnering with neighboring communities to expand childcare or workforce housing. A town that builds 50 units of workforce housing or a region that consolidates dispatch across three counties is saving taxpayer dollars statewide. When municipalities lead, the state should recognize it, incentivize it, and reward it with real support.
#4. Make tax breaks accountable to Mainers
If taxpayers are subsidizing something, you deserve to know what you're getting back. As Governor, I will regularly review so you can see what is working and what is not. Every program will need to earn its renewal by delivering real benefits to the people paying for it. In my first 100 days, I will introduce the Maine Tax Accountability Act, to establish clear standards for how new and existing tax breaks are created, monitored, and renewed, including a thorough review of sales taxes - ensuring every dollar delivers measurable public benefit.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO EVERYDAY MAINERS
If you are paying too much for housing, if your energy bill keeps climbing, if your property taxes feel impossible, or if you are tired of watching government excuse failure instead of fixing it, this is about you, your family, and whether your voice still matters in your own government. .
Corruption is not an abstract problem. Insider politics shows up in the cost of everyday life, in the waste built into broken systems, and in the frustration people feel when nobody seems accountable and nobody seems to listen.
I believe Maine can do better. Together, we can have a government that tells the truth, spends wisely, hires well, acts urgently, and remembers that public service is a responsibility to the people, not a reward for the connected. That is how we lower costs, rebuild trust, and move Maine forward.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO TAKE BACK OUR GOVERNMENT
I am building a statewide, grassroots campaign to take power back from the insiders and put it where it belongs –with you, your family, and the people of Maine.. If you believe government should answer to Mainers, if you are tired of the excuses and the waste, and if you want a Governor focused on results instead of political finger-pointing, I’m asking you to join me. .
Together we can fire the corrupt insiders, restore trust in government, and make Maine more affordable for the people who call it home. Your voice matters in this campaign, and it matters in the future we build together.
Have an idea? We want to hear from you. No one has a monopoly on good ideas, and real leadership comes from listening, working together toward a common purpose, and leading with humility and integrity. This campaign will be stronger when your voice is part of it.
