Luke’s Focus Issues
- Reduce the Cost of Living
- Tax Reform
- Strengthen our Schools
- Reduce Violent Crime
Reduce the Cost of Living:
Regular Mainers are hurting. The state we call home keeps getting more and more unaffordable, and something needs to be done about this cost of living crisis.
Luke supports a multi-faceted approach that empowers working class families and our seniors.
He will fight for lower prescription drug prices so that individuals pay less for both their medicines and their health insurance. Luke will fight for more tax credits and funding for childcare services so that families can actually afford to send their children to daycare without having to pay a second mortgage.
Maine desperately needs new affordable housing, so Luke will fight for accelerated home construction by cutting red tape and supporting manufactured housing. He will fight to make wealthy communities pay their fair share in taxes, so that Lewiston taxpayers won’t have to pay such high property taxes. And most importantly, Luke will fight for union power because when unions are strong, wages go up, which puts more money in the pockets of working class Mainers.
Tax Reform:
Lewiston residents are paying too much in property taxes, plain and simple. The reason our local taxes are so high is mostly because of unfunded mandates from Augusta and Washington, but also because other parts of Maine push their problems into places like Lewiston and then expect us to pay for everything locally. Wealthy communities and corporations get tax cuts at the expense of places like Lewiston, who keep seeing our taxes go up.
Luke supports changes that will lower Lewiston’s tax burden while forcing wealthy communities and corporations to start paying their fair share.
Luke will fight to make the state to fully fund its mandates, taking the burden off of service center communities like Lewiston. He will also fight for a statewide property tax to fund education, which would lower property taxes in our community. Luke will push to make sure corporations and wealthy Mainers pay their fair share in taxes. He will also fight for more revenue sharing in order to combat issues like youth violence and homelessness.
Strengthen Our Schools:
Lewiston schools face challenges that are unique to the rest of the state. We have disproportionately higher numbers of students with special needs, driving up the budget, without adequate funding from Augusta. A high level of poverty makes
Reduce Violent Crime:
Lewiston officials have made it clear that our city needs more help from the state. Luke has been a part of those discussions and is committed to fighting for changes in Augusta.
Luke will push for more funding for the District Attorney’s Office so that law-breakers can be held accountable.
He will work to increase revenue sharing for cities facing gun violence. This will give Lewiston more funding for recreation activities, social services, and local law enforcement initiatives. These types of things keep kids away from crime, help the homeless in our community, and empower our local authorities to make Lewiston safer and more business-friendly.
Luke’s plans to strengthen our schools will get students more engaged with their learning communities, keeping them away from getting involved in criminal activity and leading to better economic outcomes.