If elected, Erik Hobson, R-Boothbay, said he hopes to bring accountability and transparency to Augusta as the representative for House District 48.

Hobson faces Charlotte Nutt, D-Edgecomb, in the race to represent the district, which consists of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, South Bristol, and Southport. Rep. Holly Stover, D-Boothbay, is serving her fourth and final term.

Originally from Traverse City, Mich., Hobson moved to Maine eight years ago with his family. He now lives on Barters Island in Boothbay. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2002 with degrees in anthropology and psychology.

Hobson began his career in computer sales. He later worked for Child Protective Services while living in Arizona and is now an insurance claims manager.

Although Hobson has not previously held an elected position, he said he believes his experience negotiating and handling stressful situations in the insurance industry has prepared him for legislative work.

“There’s a lot of negotiating … it’s working with others that have a different opinion from what I have,” he said. “So the ability to find that commonality will help (in the Legislature).”

If elected, he said he plans on prioritizing reducing government spending, making housing affordable, and attracting and retaining new Maine residents.

Hobson said he is concerned about barriers faced by young families hoping to move to, or stay in, Maine and find housing. He said affordable housing is one of the most pressing concerns House District 48 voters have voiced to him.

Potential solutions to alleviate the stress of rising housing costs includes a credit or subsidy system for first-time homeowners, as well as improving home internet infrastructure to incentivize remote workers to come to Maine. He referenced Starlink as one of the internet solutions, the company founded by SpaceX.

“We have to build some of that infrastructure as well, but with Starlink, anybody can pop one of those on at their house, so why not have a credit for that?” he said.

Hobson identified the growing usage of homes as short-term rentals, homes owned by private equity firms, and part-time housing as contributing factors to the housing availability and affordability issue.

“We are seeing too many of our homes being purchased by people that do not live here, so they are not invested in our community,” he said.

Another issue brought up by Hobson is property taxes, which he said can pose an “undue burden” on seniors and veterans looking for housing. To counter this, he said he supports expanding the state Homestead Exemption Program, which currently offers permanent residents a property tax exemption of up to $25,000.

In regard to education, Hobson said more accountability and transparency in spending is needed to address both the housing affordability crisis and issues he sees within Maine’s schools.

“If we have continued declining enrollment, why do we continue to throw more tax dollars at our school system?” he said. “I’m not sure that’s the right answer.”

Hobson said he supports evaluating the ratio between administrators and students in a school and investing money from the education budget into small businesses instead. He also voiced concerns about the quality of education in Maine schools, which he said has declined in recent years.

Potential solutions for this decline would come from “focusing on those core subjects: reading, writing, and arithmetic,” he said.

“It seems that every time Maine is mentioned in the papers, especially as far as education goes, we continue to decline,” Hobson said.

Other ideas Hobson has for education includes expanding educational pathways outside of college, such as training programs for different trades, by establishing more vocational learning centers around the state. He said his son attended the Bath Regional Career and Technical Center and that it was a “great experience.”

He said it is important for students to have a stake in their education and that the individual responsibility is a broader value he wants to bring to the legislature if elected.

“We want to make sure that we have opportunities for kids to not only go to a traditional junior college or four-year college but also make sure that we provide assistance for technical (education) as well,” Hobson said. “College isn’t the answer for everybody, so make sure that we have a pathway for trades as well.”

Hobson said the challenges facing House District 48 voters are interconnected and cannot be solved individually. If elected, he plans to address the rising cost of living in the Midcoast region. Hobson said he supports no tax on tips or overtime and wants to reduce state spending as a way to increase affordability.

He said by reducing spending, taxes will also be reduced.

“We can’t simply throw money at healthcare and then expect our, you know, population to increase,” Hobson said. “We can’t throw money at healthcare and expect housing to become affordable, to throw money at housing and expect our education system to get better.”

Hobson is running as a clean elections candidate under the Maine Clean Elections Act. Candidates who participate in the voluntary program must receive a certain number of $5 donations from voters in their district in order to qualify. Once a part of the program, candidates cannot raise or spend any private money and can only use funds granted by the Maine Clean Election Fund, which are disbursed in equal amounts to candidates.

He said Republican Party members advised him run as a clean elections candidate. He opposes lobbyist money in politics and believes the limitations on private donations give all candidates a fair opportunity to run.

If elected, Hobson said he wants to bring compromise into the governing process.

“We then have to find the lowest common denominator, that thing that we all believe in together,” he said. “Do we agree on making Maine better? OK, we can both start from there.”

For more information, go to hobsonforhouse.com or email hobsonforhouse@gmail.com.

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

 This article appears through a content-sharing agreement with the Lincoln County News.