RUMFORD — Sen. Rick Bennett, an independent candidate for governor, unveiled a four-point plan Wednesday to help make more housing more affordable for Mainers.
The idea is to help people like Riley Worth, 23, a University of Southern Maine student about to graduate. He said his girlfriend Brook has a good paying job, and he hopes to too, but housing prices in southern Maine are just too high.
“She and I are currently struggling to find somewhere to rent that meets our criteria of being in the right location, the right size, but most importantly the right price,” Worth said during Bennett’s event in Rumford on Wednesday.
Bennett, a former longtime Republican who dropped his party affiliation last year, announced a plan to lower downpayments for first time homebuyers, give direct mortgage support to eligible buyers, expand housing supply by supporting factory-built homes and speed up approvals for new housing.
Part of the plan would be supported by a $60 million bond that’s currently pending at the State House. The rest of the plan would cost about $50 million, Bennett said.
“Maine is stronger and life is better when people can afford to live near where they work, raise families and stay connected to their communities," he said. “Young Mainers can put down roots, older Mainers can age in place with dignity and our neighborhoods remain vibrant, welcoming and economically resilient.”
For the last several years, lawmakers in Augusta and Gov. Janet Mills have worked to respond to the need for more than 80,000 new housing units by 2030. But despite those efforts, costs have ballooned, and regulations are still too difficult for builders to maneuver, said Dooryard LLC Chief Operating Officer Melissa McHugh.
McHugh hosted the event Wednesday at Dooryard’s new workforce apartments on Prospect Avenue.
She said in 2019, it cost $150,000 to build an affordable unit. The cost today is $350,000.
“Construction prices continue to rise, and rents and incomes haven’t kept pace,” she said. “A huge barrier that we’re facing as developers is uncertainty and timing. A project that meets local requirements often faces multiple layers of review, changing standards and very long approval timelines.”
Bennett said his plan to address the housing crisis is just the first in a series of rollouts that are part of his affordability agenda.
Bennett is the best known of the five independents who say they plan to run for governor in November. Because they are not affiliated with any party, each candidate has until June 1 to gather 4,000 signatures to make the fall ballot.
Others who have filed with the ethics commission include Derek Levasseur, Alexander Murchison, John Glowa Sr. and state Rep. Ed Crockett.
Glowa, a retired state worker, released his plan for tax and school funding reforms on Wednesday. According to a press release, he wants to revamp property taxes to reduce the burden on older Mainers and increase the state’s share of local education costs from 55% to 75%.
And while independents get a pass through the primaries, party candidates will compete in June for the right to make the November ballot.
The race has drawn large fields on both sides as competitors look to fill the open seat. Mills, a Democrat, is prevented by term limits from seeking another term and is running for the U.S. Senate.
Republicans vying for their party’s nomination to run for governor include former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles, real estate developer David Jones of Falmouth, healthcare tech executive Jonathan Bush, state Sen. Jim Libby, businessman Owen McCarthy, former Planet Fitness CEO Ben Midgley, Robert Wessels of Paris and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason.
Democrats include former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, former Senate President Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, businessman Angus King III and former FBI agent Jason Cherry.
Regardless of their place on the political spectrum, candidates will likely continue to focus on affordability as they roll out their proposals in the coming months.
On Wednesday in Rumford, Bennett said nearly 40% of Mainers are struggling to afford the cost of basics like food, housing, heating oil and taxes.
“Maine should be a place where hard work leads to stability and where people can plan for the future with confidence,” he said.