Social media accounts: facebook.com/sallyforstaterep; facebook.com/RepSallyCluchey/; linkedin.com/in/sallycluchey/

Occupation: Maine state legislator

Education: M.S. in Biomedical Science and Regulatory Affairs, B.A. in Classical Studies

Community Organizations: Bowdoinham Food Pantry, chair; Bowdoinham Community Connections, outreach coordinator; Bowdoinham Community School’s Annual 5K Race, volunteer race director; Bowdoinham Parent Partnership, member and former chair; Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative, member

Personal information (hobbies, etc.): I enjoy spending time with my children and husband, particularly outdoors, running with girlfriends, walking my two rescue dogs, reading fiction, cooking delicious food, ripping out invasive plant species, and brainstorming and hosting fun community events for the Food Pantry.

Family status: Married with two awesome kids

Years in the Legislature: Two

Committee assignments (if elected): In my first term I had the privilege of serving on two policy committees: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Health Coverage, Insurance, and Financial Services. If I’m re-elected, I would be delighted to continue serving on those committees.

Q&A

1) Define what “success” would look like if you are elected to serve your district.

For me, public service is about helping people. That is what I do in my personal and professional life, and it has been the focus of my work in Augusta. To me, “success” would look like even more opportunities to connect people in my district with the services that are available to them, and more chances to help them navigate state agencies and processes. It would look like a legislative session where both parties find common ground on issues that matter to Mainers and pass policies that help everyone live with dignity.

2) Name one issue the Legislature handled last session. Explain why you agree or disagree with the final outcome.

The Legislature accomplished many things that we should all be proud of, from expanding access to dental care and birth control, to supporting community resilience and infrastructure projects like better culverts to withstand flooding. The session brought some disappointments, too. One of the biggest for me was our failure to make the state tax code more fair.

Currently, someone making $58,050 is taxed at the same rate as someone making $500,000. In a bipartisan vote, the House and Senate both passed L.D. 1231, which would have reduced the tax burden on everyone making less than $205,000 and raised it slightly on individuals earning over $500,000. It was revenue neutral and I hoped it would become law, but unfortunately the governor chose to veto it.

Maine has a lot of programs in place to help individuals making very little money, but we need more to help the middle class. This bill would have been an important step towards fairer taxation of this group of Mainers who bear the brunt of our taxes. I’m hopeful that this next term I can continue building bipartisan support for tax reform and make more progress than we did last session.

OPPONENT: David Guilmette, R-Richmond