One afternoon in Sanford Jon Courtney was sitting around with some friends discussing the role of government. Courtney, a small business owner, was complaining and his friend said, “So why don’t you do something about it?”  

In 2002, Courtney was elected to the Maine’s House of Representatives. Ten years later, the Republican became the senate majority leader, where his claim to fame has been passing bills with the backing of both parties.

With an emphasis on bipartisanship, Courtney hopes to win a seat in Washington and bring accountability back to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the last 2 years, Courtney said he passed welfare, regulatory, healthcare and pension reforms, as well as oversaw tax decreases, and provided tax incentives for small businesses. Courtney said his time in the Maine Legislature taught him a lesson: “Even if you disagree with somebody, you have to respect that, and if you don’t respect that, you can’t find the common ground that is needed.”

Courtney said common ground can be reached through both parties by looking at not just what exists now, but what will exist in 5-10 years based on decisions made today. If elected, Courtney said the first thing he would do is make some friends on the other side of the aisle. “The only way to solve problems is to talk to people (who) don’t agree with you.”

Economy, business

Whether it is business, healthcare or environmental issues, Courtney said a market driven approach is the most viable plan to stimulate the economy. Courtney, who served on the regulatory reform committee in Maine, wants to make sure there is predictability in the economy. He said the simplification of regulations will bring clarity and remove the element of uncertainty that he says comes from government involvement.

Courtney said the private sector should be encouraged to start spending money again in order to create jobs and grow the economy. “Rather than creating cultural warfare between the rich versus the poor, we need to start to talk about how someone who doesn’t have as much, how can they climb the ladder to become successful?”

Courtney said people in general have become too reliant on the government to provide services.   

“We need to change the mentality that government just doesn’t give people something,” he said. “People need to give to government, and they give to government by creating a strong economic environment.”

Healthcare

Courtney said Obama’s Affordable Care Act would harm more Mainers than help them. He said that although we should all have the right to healthcare, he doesn’t think it’s the government’s responsibility to provide it. He said with a government mandate to purchase health insurance, there is less competition (referring to the need to have a competitive balance between insurance companies and hospitals).

When Courtney was involved in Maine’s healthcare reform, he said they looked at health insurance coverage for the 18-25 year old demographic in Maine and New Hampshire and found there were five times more young people in New Hampshire who had coverage than in Maine, a result attributed to Maine’s steep insurance coverage costs. Courtney said some of the accomplishments they achieved in the Maine legislature reduced the cost of health insurance for small groups, and enabled the ability to shop for healthcare across state lines.

On St. Andrews

Courtney said the Affordable Care Act, coupled with the high cost of Medicare reimbursements for hospitals will contribute to the decline of small rural hospitals in Maine. During the last congressional session, he said the senate forced a bill through for $500 million dollars to reimburse some of the local hospitals, but he said there is still more that needs to be reimbursed, but the money hasn’t been there.

Like St. Andrews, Courtney’s hometown hospital in Sanford has struggled to stay open. Courtney said the idea of a community-based hospital is expensive to fund and an unrealistic approach. “I think you’re going to see St. Andrews turn into a health clinic,” he said. “Ultimately, if government takes over healthcare, I think you’re going to get into a rationing situation, and we’re already seeing the beginning of it, right here.”

Courtney said he has been enjoying his time on the campaign trail, despite being out raised in campaign funding by his opponent, Democrat Chellie Pingree.

“We knew what we were getting into,” he said. “We knew we were running against a well-financed opponent.”

Courtney said the campaign has allowed him to meet many nice people across the state, and when people ask him if the party has done much for him, he said “Nobody owes me anything for this. This has just been the chance of as lifetime.”