Candidates face off to represent Brunswick House District 100

Brunswick residents have less than two weeks before deciding who will take the 100th District seat in the Maine House of Representatives.

Rep. Dan Ankeles is seeking re-election as his first term representing the district that includes part of Brunswick comes to an end. This year, Republican Ivon H. Prescott Jr., a Brunswick resident, is challenging Ankeles for the seat.

Both candidates spoke to The Times Record about their campaigns, highlighting concerns about high housing costs and taxes that burden households on fixed incomes.

The candidates also described how they would handle the PFAS-laden firefighting foam (also referred to as AFFF, which stands for aqueous film-forming foam) spill that occurred on August 19. The spill was the state’s worst in 30 years and has forever raised concerns about toxic chemicals.

Candidate responses have been lightly edited for grammar, spelling and brevity.

Courtesy of Dan Ankeles

Ankles from

Please tell the readers a little about yourself.

I am serving my first term in the Maine House of Representatives. My family and I have lived on Beech Drive since 2011. I am a 43-year-old father of two children, both of whom attend Brunswick schools. I started my professional life as a public radio reporter, but served as a legislative staffer in Augusta for almost a decade. I also spent five years on our City Council, several years on our local Recreation Commission, and several seasons coaching youth soccer.

Why are you running for this position?

I want to use my experience in public policy to make a positive difference for my community. I first ran at the state level two years ago to advocate for Brunswick, specifically to better integrate Brunswick Landing with the rest of the city and to work to make Brunswick more affordable through changes to both housing policy and property tax law. These are goals I still have, especially given the revaluation and ongoing leak crisis.

What are your most pressing concerns for the town? How will you overcome these difficulties if you are elected?

The most pressing concerns are at least threefold. The first is the lack of accessible housing and the diversity of housing types. Large employers in our area are experiencing a hiring shortage because there are not enough affordable units. There is also a huge property tax burden shift from commercial to residential. It absolutely crushes people on fixed incomes, renters, and working-class homeowners. Maine’s tax code is fundamentally unsustainable right now. We are finally home to the worst AFFF toxic foam spill in Maine history. Brunswick residents and businesses deserve a clean and healthy community, and the state needs to fight alongside us.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I helped raise more than $72 million across the housing policy spectrum this year. We must continue these efforts, make Maine’s new rental assistance program permanent, and re-pass many planning regulations that lapsed in the spring due to disagreements over funding. I began having serious conversations with my colleagues on taxation in hopes of convincing them that tax reform wasn’t as big a political lightning rod as older Mainers losing their homes and communities. The new property deduction we introduced this year doesn’t provide the peace of mind that the fatally flawed property tax freeze provided for many older Mainers, so we need to continue pushing the envelope.

The district you are running for includes Brunswick Landing, where a toxic firefighting foam spill on Aug. 19 triggered an ongoing cleanup effort to reduce PFAS contamination. What are your most pressing concerns regarding this leak and how would you approach resolving them?

The spill is both an environmental and public health crisis. In the short term, I am working around the clock to inform my constituents and publicly call for accountability and the immediate shutdown of the Hangar 6 fire suppression system, which poses a direct threat to our drinking water if something goes wrong.

When the Legislature returns in the new year, we need at least a four-pronged plan. I have already introduced three bills directly related to AFFF. First, it requires the removal of all AFFFs from Brunswick Landing and removes any regulatory hurdles we might have. Second, it authorizes and conducts a statewide inventory of all AFFFs. Third, it creates a statewide AFFF rollback and removal program similar to New Hampshire’s. Technology to break down PFAS bonds is slowly improving and take-back programs are finally becoming feasible. Senator (Mattie) Daughtry will have a fourth bill, and I will co-sponsor that bill and help develop it. This bill reforms the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, ending the town-within-a-town problem and giving Brunswick a real say in the future of the Landing and ensuring that those making critical decisions comply with open meeting laws and are accountable to survivors. and work here.

Where can readers learn more about your candidacy?

I have a web page and a campaign Facebook account, but honestly I’d rather chat directly with people who want to learn more. They can call me at 756-3793 or write me. from[email protected].

Courtesy of Ivon Prescott Jr.

Ivon H. Prescott Jr.

Please tell the readers a little about yourself.

I was born in Camden and lived in south-central Maine, attended schools in Gardiner, Farmingdale, and graduated from Hall-Dale High School. I spent several years away from Maine, attending Bible College and eventually spending 10 years in the US Navy. I left the Navy and settled in northeastern Illinois for a few years until the company I worked for got its affairs in order. I moved back to Maine in 2017 and currently live in Brunswick.

Why are you running for this position?

I have seen the last few legislative sessions fail to respond to the people of Maine; Numerous bills were passed against the will of the people of Maine. Our representatives and senators have passed numerous tax bills that make us one of the states with the highest tax burden. We have taxation based on representation. This is not acceptable.

What are your most pressing concerns for the town? How will you overcome these difficulties if you are elected?

The average Mainer’s cost of living is very high. I had a two-bedroom apartment in Waukegan, Illinois that cost less than half of a one-bedroom apartment in Brunswick. While Maine’s median income ranks near the bottom of all states, our tax burden is near the top among U.S. states.

Maine needs to attract good businesses; We have great employees in New England with a “can do” work ethic.

We need to address the tax burden Maine residents face, reduce regulations, and reduce the costs associated with homeownership. The reviews were very high; Many Mainers cannot afford to buy a home, and many are forced to move due to tax assessments.

Our Legislature needs to be more responsive to Maine residents who are U.S. citizens—our poor, our servicemen and women. We need to pay more attention to our citizens’ tax money and spend this money rationally.

The US Navy is responsible for former superfund sites.-Until the entire Navy base is satisfactorily cleared and the MRRA is required to have a Navy representative on site working with available resources to replace the existing AFFF system in the affected hangars in a timely manner. I would like to meet with this Navy representative along with the MRRA on a regular basis to receive updates to be delivered to Brunswick officials and Brunswick residents.

Where can readers learn more about your candidacy?

Voters can reach Prescott at [email protected] or call 449-8294.