Edwin W. Mitchell, I-Boothbay, wants to represent both sides of the political aisle in his run for Senate District 13.

Mitchell, who goes by Win, faces Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, to represent Senate District 13, which consists of Lincoln County, excluding Dresden and including Washington and Windsor.

“I don’t have the answers to everything, but I sure have talked to a lot of people that have some great ideas,” Mitchell said. “Their voices need to be shared and heard.”

Originally from Southport, Mitchell volunteered with the Southport Fire Department and later attended Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute for Marine Science Deck to get his mate’s or captain’s license. Instead of taking the usual route of shipping off on a tanker or tug boat, Mitchell went into the private boat trade, he said.

After a few years of running a boat up and down the East Coast, Mitchell was hired as a boat captain to run boats for the Maine Marine Patrol, first stationed in Southwest Harbor and then Boothbay.

Mitchell retired from the patrol after 12 years and spent his time after lobstering and running different businesses, such as woodcutting and lot cleaning. In 2006, Mitchell and his wife bought the property that his brewery and RV park now sit on. Boothbay Craft Brewery, Tavern, and RV is celebrating 20 years in business this year.

“We did everything ourselves,” Mitchell said.

With the creation of the brewery, Mitchell became a figure in reviving the Maine Brewer’s Guild. He partnered with the owner of Maine Beer Company, Daniel Kleban, and former state representative and senator Heather Sanborn, to reshape the organization. The effort took the guild from 25 breweries to just over 150.

Mitchell has “never been in politics” before because of his employment at the state level. He said he is familiar with numerous laws and how bills are passed.

“But I’m more interested in representing all my fellow Lincoln County people,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is running as an independent because he believes he can converse with both political parties by being in the middle. During his campaign, he said he has found that more people are willing to talk to him because he is not affiliated with a party.

“I can state unequivocally that I am doing it because I think that’s the only proper way to represent a diverse political area like Lincoln County,” he said.

Mitchell decided to run because his sons are now old enough to start taking over the business. As they do so, he said his plan is to give back to the community.

He said he believes that his experience working in marine patrol and connections across the state from his business make him a good candidate. He referenced his campaign videos that highlight why he loves his community and local industries throughout the district.

“They’re intended to tell why I love living here, why my boys love living here, and we want to be able to stay here and succeed,” Mitchell said.

Another motivator for Mitchell to run was a perceived disconnect between elected officials and the communities they represent. In the 20 years he has run his business, he said that Reny has not stopped by.

Mitchell said once someone is elected to office, it should not be the end of their door knocking.

“It’s not like, ‘Win Mitchell has the answers, he’s going to the state house,” Mitchell said. “It’s, ‘Win Mitchell has the connections and the experience to be able to talk to his constituents and fairly represent them, and then come back and tell them what the result was.”

Mitchell said his strengths are his ability to talk to people, share ideas, and respect other’s opinions.

He also said he has had enough of seeing advertisements putting other candidates down and instead would like to see reasons why he should vote for someone.

“To get elected is for the people to choose, they think that I’m the best one to represent them, but they also have a trust that I’m going to come back to them and get their opinions on things,” Mitchell said.

A major concern for Mitchell is affordability across the board, especially for housing. As a business owner, he spoke about difficulties retaining full-time employees, which forced his operating hours to shift.

“Plenty of business,” he said. “Just can’t get the help.”

For rural healthcare, Mitchell said he understands frustrations around the impending closure of the labor and delivery unit at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, but said people should also look at the reasons for why it closed. He said there needs to be more open and honest conversations between MaineHealth and state representatives to ensure transparency when these decisions are being made.

Mitchell also said that with the attention on the closure announcement, many people did not celebrate the opening of a new oncology and infusion center at Lincoln Hospital. He said the services cater to the age demographics in the area and recalled how his wife would have liked a center like that when she battled and beat cancer 13 years ago.

Noting the trend in labor and delivery units closing across the state, Mitchell said the best way to keep them open is to grow local communities. If elected, he intends to brainstorm ideas on how to attract “the talent” to work in healthcare.

“Young professionals want to give; they want to give service,” Mitchell said. “I don’t blame them. Be like me sitting around here waiting for somebody, you know, to come buy a beer.”

Through running his business, Mitchell said he has also seen the struggle to obtain affordable health insurance. Most employees at his brewery are self-insured, he said. If elected, Mitchell said he does not know how much change a state senator can enact in health insurance, but would like to guide a policy toward making it more accessible.

Additionally, Mitchell wants to address rising property taxes and believes the state is spending more than can be afforded.

“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t depress the people that are already here,” Mitchell said.

Some of the blame for the increase in property taxes can be attributed to the rise in AirBnB and other short-term rentals throughout the state, Mitchell said. If elected, Mitchell said he plans to find ways to increase the homestead exemption, which would lighten the burden of property taxes and incentivize part-time residents to become full-time.

By bringing in more residents, more money will be contributed to the state’s economy, Mitchell said. The attraction of more full-time residents would also create more activities year-round, which would expand business hours, that would then bring in even more employees, he said.

“People will bring industry, but you can’t bring industry and hope that people come,” Mitchell said.

He voiced concerns about the rental properties bought by big corporations, which he said are partially to blame for the increasing costs of living. He said larger houses that are only occupied by visitors during the summer often do not fit in the budget of full-time residents.

“We are literally encouraging people not to live in Maine year-round with our policies,” Mitchell said.

To increase home affordability for families, Mitchell said he will focus on high efficiency regulations.

Also concerned about increasing taxes, Mitchell called the rise in education costs a “Catch-22,” because while the price for schooling is increasing, the number of students enrolled is decreasing because their families cannot afford to live in the area.

“It’s sad because we are losing those people and their votes,” Mitchell said. “Whether they vote Democrat or Republican doesn’t matter. They vote locally in our elections.”

While talking about education, Mitchell said there also need to be more ways to encourage students to pursue a career in trades. He said someone always needs an electrician or a plumber, and that there should be a trade school in every county. With more opportunities like this, he believes more people will move to the area.

“You know, it’s a great place to live,” Mitchell said. “There’s no reason why people shouldn’t be flocking here.”

When it comes to infrastructure, Mitchell said he is considering different paths to improve the safety of local roadways. He referenced the state’s effort in 2010 to build a bypass around Wiscasset meant to improve traffic conditions that was eventually put down by voters.

Mitchell said this was a missed opportunity and that Wiscasset would be “so much more vibrant” if it did not have “every truck and trailer” driving through. He said Damariscotta is an example of a “bypass that worked.”

Throughout the district, Mitchell said there is a need for some infrastructure updates and that by pushing these projects forward; the state can use local contracts.

Considering the working waterfront, Mitchell gave kudos to those working in Department of Marine Resources and said that fisherman should have a voice. If elected, he said he will aim to prevent overregulation in this industry while protecting the natural ecosystems.

A part of protecting the fishing industry is also ensuring fishermen and lobstermen are not driven out of the state by increasing taxes, he said.

“I do think that DMR and scientists have a key role in guiding and working with fisherman to do what’s right for our environment and other uses,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has local endorsements from friends, families, and neighboring business, including Boothbay Select Board member Russell Pinkham, and Rob Hunt, owner of Hunt Brothers Lumber.

Mitchell said even if he does get elected, his campaign has been a great experience and he encourages others to do the same. As someone who never had any aspirations to be in politics, he said it is important to bring in experiences from all areas to “get people talking again, working together again.”

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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