PORTLAND — Independent gubernatorial candidate Sen. Rick Bennett pledged Monday to help lower property taxes and crack down on state spending.
Bennett, a former Republican, said he wants to increase the Homestead Exemption for those 65 and older and direct more state money to cities and towns to help them reduce costs now borne by local taxpayers.
“Property taxes fall hardest on people with fixed incomes, older Mainers and small business owners,” he said. “That is where I will start.”
Bennett said he also wants a state panel to study a program in Vermont that caps property taxes at a percentage of household income.
In addition, he wants the state to better support county jails by restoring the state share of costs to 20%. As it is now, the state funds less than 15% of total costs.
To rein in costs, Bennett said he will require state agencies to justify spending decisions, do more to root out wasteful spending and create incentives for cities and towns to regionalize services like dispatching and public works.
“Too many Mainers believe they are paying into a system that protects itself rather than Mainers,” he said. “Party insiders continue to drown us in debt and put our communities at risk. Governing as usual is insufficient to the moment.”
Bennett faces Democrat Hannah Pingree and Republican Bobby Charles on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Just last week, The Cook Political Report moved the Maine governor’s race from “likely D” to “solid D.” In its analysis, Cook noted Bennett’s presence in the race, citing it as a complicating factor.
Bennett said proposals to tax properties owned by out of staters at a higher rate than those owned by Maine residents may sound like a good idea, but that Mainers need help now. He criticized both parties for failing to act.
“It’s just more political promises by the parties who have failed repeatedly to deal with this issue,” he said. “We need to actually address this and get real results now.”