AUGUSTA – Late last fall, Chandler Woodcock had one of those crystallizing moments that sometimes happens to politicians as he prepared to finish the second half of his third term in the Maine Senate.

As a Republican, the Farmington lawmaker had become fully aware of how little clout the minority party actually wields in the Maine Legislature – and he didn’t like it.

“I had been frustrated as a senator,” the former high school teacher and championship basketball coach recalled. “We hadn’t had the progress that we should have had. Although I’ve been a part of the process for six years, I felt as though we hadn’t moved forward enough for me. I concluded that the only way you can accomplish change at this level is to become the person who has some control over change. I’ve never been afraid to take risks and now I’m ready to take another.”

That risk is the sacrifice of a near-certain re-election bid to his Franklin County Senate seat in exchange for a chance to surface as the winner of a three-man gubernatorial primary on June 13. The bow-tied, 57-year-old Vietnam veteran has varied interests and has a likeable manner that a teacher and coach must develop in order to deal with potential conflicts that can arise with parents and school committees. A publicly funded candidate under Maine’s Clean Elections law, Woodcock’s television ads depict him as a fly fisherman and Maine Guide with a strong sense of family.

“I think I have a broad appeal,” Woodcock said. “I come from a different background than my opponents. I’m sort of a regular person, a common man.”

Maintaining that Democratic Gov. John E. Baldacci has failed to deliver for Mainers, Woodcock places the creation and retention of jobs and the revitalization of the state’s economy as his two major goals. If successful, he believes, other areas of concern – such as education costs, state debt reduction and transportation improvements – will fall into line accordingly.

“Among all the issues that we discuss during the campaign, at the hub of it is the economy,” he said. “If it improves, we have a more viable chance of improving some of these other areas. Investment is the key word: in state and out of state. The way to accomplish that is for government to adopt a different attitude about business. It needs to step back and be a little more humble and ask: What is it that we can do to assist? We’re not talking about running roughshod over the environment or the regulatory agencies. But government needs to work in concert and in partnership with the business community and we don’t do that very well right now.”

A supporter of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, Woodcock believes the state has overextended itself in the social services it offers to Mainers and must bring spending under stricter control. As in other policy areas, he is short on details of how he would accomplish his goals although he has mentioned a separate oversight agency for evaluating state departments and the privatization of some state services as possible solutions.

Arguably the most conservative of the three GOP gubernatorial candidates, Woodcock opposes abortion on demand for women except in instances of rape, incest or incidents in which the life of the mother is at stake. A firm adherent of the referendum process, he insists the governor of the state should not be circumventing the will of the people on social issues.

“If a referendum process decided we should have limited abortion rights or the gay rights process, I certainly would not be overturning them,” he said. “The courts of the United States have decided that we have certain restrictions placed upon abortion and the state of Maine has a limited perspective of what it can and cannot do in the abortion area.”

While support for overturning or curtailing existing abortion laws remains a candidate litmus test for a segment of Republicans, Woodcock maintains the issue is not in the forefront of his campaign. During Thursday’s GOP candidates debate on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Woodcock said that as governor he could only propose limited legislation affecting abortion services in Maine.

“We need more parental awareness of the abortion issue,” he said. “We need medical protection available. [These are] issues the state could control. The federal issue is still not something the state of Maine is able to change.”

Despite a statewide referendum that produced a contrary decision, Woodcock continues to insist that including gay men and lesbians under the protections of the Maine Human Rights Act amounts to “special rights.” Still, he rejects the notion that he is “a right-winger” among Republicans.

“I told my students not to stereotype people,” he said. “I won’t attempt to stereotype anyone else. We’re running against the governor’s policy. If people think I have the most viable policy, they will vote for me. I’m comfortable with who I am. I bring plenty of diverse experience. Those people who are a special interest vote, I may or may not have their vote depending on their philosophy. But most people don’t vote on one issue.”

More information about Woodcock can be obtained on the Internet at www.woodcockforgovernor.com.

Chandler Woodcock

Age: 57

Address: 259 Middle Street, Farmington, ME 04938

E-mail: cewoodcock@yahoo.com

Web site: www.woodcockforgovernor.com

Family: Wife, Charlotte; four children, Seth, Megan, Sarah, Kristen

Education: University of Maine at Farmington, 1978

Occupation: Retired teacher

Experience: Maine Senate, 2000-2006; Farmington selectman

Top three priorities if elected:

. Jobs and economy

. Taxes

. Affordable health insurance