Troy Jackson takes on affordable housing issue at mobile home park in Wells
Maine Senate Candidate Troy Jackson Meets Mobile‑Home Residents in Wells to Tackle Rising Rent and Water Quality Woes
WELLS, Maine – On a bright Saturday in early September, U.S. Senate hopeful Troy Jackson stopped in a quiet back yard in Wells to speak with dozens of residents of the Blueberry Ridge Mobile‑Home Village. The meeting, part of his first wave of campaign stops during a Labor Day weekend packed with political events, was less about the Senate race and more about the day‑to‑day struggles that keep Maine’s mobile‑home renters awake at night.
Jackson, the Democratic nominee, listened to residents describe long‑standing water‑quality problems, rising lot fees and a sense that out‑of‑state owners are ignoring maintenance responsibilities. “When we come together, we can do great things — you’ve shown it right here,” Jackson said as he welcomed the crowd of a few dozen residents who had gathered in Diane Whiteside’s backyard, folded lawn chairs and Dunkin’ coffee in hand.
Water that turns brown, rent that climbs
Whiteside, who has lived in the park for more than two decades, handed the senator a jar of dark brown water she says has been coming out of her faucet since mid‑July. “Water is one of the few services covered by rent,” she told Jackson, noting that her monthly payments have risen from $435 to $625 over the past three years. “I’m on Social Security, you know, a fixed income,” she added. “I can still work, and I do have to work, to pay the bills. But I may not be able to work forever.”
The residents also brought up the local ordinance that the Wells town council passed last month to cap annual lot‑rent increases to a percentage of the inflation rate. The ordinance, which will appear on the November ballot, was approved by a vote of 14‑9, and its proponents argue that it will protect low‑income renters from sudden, steep hikes. In the park, water, sewer and other services are part of the rent, so the cost of a faulty water supply could have ripple effects on the overall bill.
Jackson acknowledged the problem and said the state should have the power “to hold onto certain sites until residents can take over,” in order to prevent private‑equity firms from buying parks and “making a killing on these parks.” He also noted that Maine recently enacted a law giving residents the right of first refusal when a park is put up for sale, citing a recent purchase by residents of the Hidden Circle park in Jay, who bought the park in August.
Broader context for mobile‑home affordability
The Blueberry Ridge conversation sits amid a broader push across Maine to regulate mobile‑home lot‑rent hikes. Sanford, Brunswick and Wells all passed ordinances in 2025 and 2026 that limit annual rent increases or establish caps tied to inflation. The Maine Legislature, meanwhile, has passed several laws to give renters more leverage, including the right of first refusal and a 2024 bill that requires parks to provide a written maintenance plan to owners.
“We feel strongly that, if needed, the state should be able to come in, to take these places over,” Jackson said. “So you don’t see these private equity firms coming in and making a killing on these parks.”
The federal angle
In the discussion, Jackson also turned to the national stage. When Lynzy Kosmes asked him what he would do to hold out‑of‑state operators accountable, the senator replied, “I will lend my voice every day,” and said he was “one hundred percent” willing to pursue investigations. “I want to see them investigated. I want audits, and I want regulations,” Kosmes said, echoing concerns raised by residents in other parks.
He also suggested that the Senate’s role could extend beyond the borders of Maine. “One resident suggested that I could look to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D‑New Hampshire, for guidance,” he said. Hassan has publicly criticized companies that acquire parks and then raise fees quickly.
No direct attack on the incumbent
While the meeting was a chance to showcase his platform on housing affordability, Jackson kept his comments on his Republican opponent, senior U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, at bay. In a later interview with reporters, he said he looked forward to the upcoming debates and would ask Collins about her voting record with Donald Trump, her positions on Iran, health care, ICE, and tariffs. A spokesperson for Collins, Shawn Roderick, countered that the incumbent has secured more than $65 million for affordable housing and $164 million for water infrastructure since 2021, including $1.3 million to connect a mobile‑home park in Camden to the sewer system and $2.1 million for drinking water at a park in Freeport.
Looking ahead
The meeting at Blueberry Ridge was part of a broader strategy by Jackson’s campaign to connect with voters on a pressing local issue. Housing affordability, especially for mobile‑home residents, remains a major concern in Maine’s November election. With the state’s budget and federal funding increasingly tied to infrastructure and housing initiatives, the conversation in Wells may signal a growing trend of political actors taking local concerns to the national stage.
As the campaign season accelerates and the October primary draws nearer, residents of the Blueberry Ridge park—and others across Maine—will watch closely to see how both candidates’ promises translate into concrete actions that keep rent increases manageable and essential services like clean water reliable.
