State Rep. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington, announced Monday that he will end his candidacy for re-election to the Legislature, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Harvell, who has served three terms in the Legislature, said each legislator decides how much of a commitment they will make to the role. Harvell said the time he needed to put into representing House District 89 wasn’t compatible with raising his teenage daughter and being a part of his family.

“You have to decide to yourself how much you’re going to put into it and how much you’re not. I think to be a good rep you need to be out in the community and have a sense of what’s going on. It’s not easy to do,” he said.

Some accomplishments Harvell said were highlights in his career include working to update the state tax code, as well as his work to reduce winter heating costs by bringing natural gas to Farmington and through a heat pump program. He also sponsored a bill requiring labels identifying food with genetically modified ingredients, which Gov. Paul LePage signed earlier this year.

Harvell said he regrets not being able to get more support for his work with the Gang of 11 that proposed a bipartisan plan to overhaul Maine’s income and sales tax structure.

“I most regret not being able to get a greater deal done on tax reform that was pro-growth in nature and recognized Maine’s changing demographics,” he said.

He said “while it might sound cliche,” he considers serving in Augusta to be an honor. He said it has been humbling to think that he was among those who represented his district throughout its history.

“When you look back at the history of the state, … you were one of the ones that your community put their trust into to send you down there,” he said.

Harvell is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Verso Paper employee, hunter and fisherman and a non-traditional political science student at the University of Maine at Farmington, according to his biography on the Maine Legislature website.

Harvell was running unopposed in the Republican primaries for the seat and was to face attorney Edward David, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the final election.

Republicans will need to hold a caucus in order to fill the seat for November elections.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

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