WATERVILLE — Bruce White, a Waterville Planning Board member, defeated Waterville attorney Charles Thomas Ferris on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination for House of Representatives, District 109, which covers part of Waterville.

The unofficial vote was 539-505.

White will face off in the November election with Republican Karen Rancourt-Thomas, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary Tuesday.

The winner in November will replace Thomas R.W. Longstaff, who is prohibited by term limits from seeking another term.

White, 61, of Silvermount Street, a computer network technician, said recently that if elected, he will fight to give communities the state revenue sharing they are owed and work to help Mainers.

“While I’m disappointed with the results,” Ferris said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bruce White on his victory. I hope that we will all work together now to ensure he is the candidate who wins the election for this seat in November. I know he cares deeply about our city and will represent it well in Augusta.”

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White said people must work together on budget issues.

“City governments throughout the state want a fair, efficient general revenue sharing plan that works for all communities and lives up to the state law that requires state funding of local schools at the 55 percent level,” White said. “The Legislature must focus on budget issues to accomplish this by working with legislators from both parties.”

White said he was running for the seat because he wanted to give back.

“Having come from a single-parent Waterville family of eight, raised in poverty, I am grateful for those who helped me overcome the many disadvantages I faced,” White said. “Therefore, I have always had a passion to give back by helping others, especially those in need. My many years of service in organizations have enabled me to meet the needs of others. Now that I am nearing retirement, I can and will devote the hours necessary to serve the people of Waterville’s District 109 and the state of Maine. As Winston Churchill said, ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.'”

White says issues facing the district include “the need for good-paying jobs, economic development, and the revitalization of Waterville by looking for partnerships between state agencies and local businesses and institutions.”

He says he supports Medicaid expansion and wants to see mental health services for Maine residents strengthened. Treatment options for the “state’s plague of opioid addiction” also is a priority for White.

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“I would also work for reasonable gun legislation that protects residents and complies with the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” White said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17


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