Paul Chace, a Republican pharmacist, is defending his seat against Democrat attorney Sarah Hall in a contest for the House District 46 seat.

The district covers the rural communities of North Yarmouth, Durham and part of Pownal.

HOUSE DISTRICT 46 CANDIDATES

Paul Chace

Party: Republican
Age: 49
Hometown: Durham
Family: Married
Education: Bachelor’s degree, pharmacy, University of Rhode Island
Job: Pharmacist/pharmacy consultant
Political experience: Representative, House District 46, 2014-present

Sarah Hall

Party: Democratic
Age: 47
Hometown: Durham
Family: Married, two children
Education: University of Maine School of Law
Job: Attorney
Political experience: Two terms, Durham Board of Selectmen
Web info: https://www.facebook.com/
hallforhouse/

Chace, 49, of Durham, was elected two years ago and has served one term on the Legislature’s Taxation Committee. Chace said regulations and high taxes create a barrier for people who want to work and own businesses in Maine.

Chace is proud of the budget work done during the last legislative session. If re-elected, he wants to expand an income tax credit to repay debt for Maine graduates so it includes six-year degree holders and not just bachelor’s degrees.

In a Portland Press Herald survey, Chace said he favors Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to eventually eliminate the state income tax. Maine should raise income from tourists and increase the sales tax, he said. Chace said he opposes a ballot initiative to raise Maine’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020, because the free market should set wages. He is against background checks for private gun sales and is not convinced that Maine creates a gun violence problem like that in big cities. Chace is opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana.

He does not believe the state has done enough in response to the opiate crisis and believes that confronting it will take a multi-pronged approach of treatment, enforcement and education.

Hall, 47, is in her second term on the Durham Board of Selectmen and is currently vice chairman. She is an attorney foreclosure mediator.

In the Press Herald survey, Hall said the state can do better on economic, social and environmental matters, but politicians need to rise above partisan divisions to find common ground. “I would like to be part of that story and help assure a strong and prosperous future for my children,” she said.

She is against eliminating the income tax, saying it will increase property and sales taxes and impact seniors and low-income families. Instead, the state should shift the tax burden to the most wealthy, she said. Hall is in favor of background checks for gun sales as a tool to fight gun crime and approves of legalizing and regulating marijuana. Increasing the minimum wage can attract more skilled employees and help people escape from poverty, she said.

Chace is a traditionally funded candidate who has raised about $4,874 for his campaign, according to a Sept. 27 state campaign finance report. Hall is publicly funded under the Maine Clean Election Act, and has raised a total of $7,572 in private contributions and state funds.