Name: Richard A. Davis Jr.
Address: 135 Spiller Road
Education: Associates Degree – Diesel Mechanic
Personal Info: Married for 37 years, three children, four grandchildren
Employment: Maine DOT Field Mechanic
Political and community experience: For the past four years I have been Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Post #197 in Westbrook and have been a member for 15 years. I was also very involved in the Shawn Moody for Governor campaign as well as Amy Volk’s Maine Senate campaign. At present I am a member of the Gorham Republican Committee and also attend the Maine State Republican Committee meetings.
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
I am running for Town Council because after going out and talking to voters, they have expressed concern over rising taxes especially those that are of retirement age. They are afraid they will no longer be able to stay in Gorham. I am getting close to retirement age and I share their concerns. I believe that the job of the Town Council is to listen to the residents and to be their voice. I will welcome input from residents on topics that are important to them. I may not have political experience, but I see that as a plus for the residents of Gorham.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
Again, I see taxes as an important issue. I think it’s important to bring businesses to Gorham. Businesses don’t take a toll on our school system in the same way that single family housing does. I also think we need to take a good hard look at the proposed high school expansion and I’m glad that the process has been slowed and may not appear as a referendum until March of 2020. I have attended the public forums and I encourage you all to attend any future forums.
Name: Tyler J. Gowen
Address: Unpublished
Education: GHS ’05, University of New England – BA English ’09
Personal Info: Recycling Advocate, Aries, avid reader of The Blotter in the Gorham Times
Employment: Currently the Consumer Content Manager for a tech company called ‘Plansource’. Previously employed by Unum as a Content Strategist in Marketing.
Political and community experience: After helping start the newspaper at my university, I quickly became better educated and more interested in local politics as I covered planning meetings, town council sessions, and conducted Op-Ed interviews. Since that time, I’ve kept current on campaigns both locally and nationally, following the effect our leadership has at home, and learning that world change happens at the foundation. Quiet towns like Gorham can impact the world, so instead of simply following politics, I want to get involved. That means making an impact in the community I grew up in and moved back to because I love it.
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
I’m truly running because I appreciate the efforts of the current Council and how they’ve allowed our town to comfortably progress over the years, and this continued progression is something I want to be part of. Instead of commenting on politics from the sidelines, educating myself on topics just to share with friends, I want to lend my time and skills to the town I grew up in, and focus on local issues. For example, Gorham’s population has grown by over 1,300 residents in just the past eight years, according to the 2010 and 2018 census. With this continued growth we need adaptable plans in place to assure balance between proper infrastructure and the financial benefits we reap as a progressing town.
I want to work with the Council to better understand more of the challenges that face our town and help turn them into opportunities. A positive change for the world starts with a solid foundation that radiates upward. I strive to bring that positivity along with a fresh set of eyes, as Gorham continues to grow, morph, and rise out of Portland’s shadow.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
Gorham seems to be caught in the push/pull paradox of maintaining the small-town charm I grew up with and being swallowed up by suburbia, as Portland’s affordable housing crisis pushes Mainers further from the city. As this continues, I’ve already seen incredible efforts to be accommodating and efficient – like instituting the ‘Husky Bus’ to charter people to and from our town while limiting the amount of cars/congestion/pollution being generated. It’s efforts like this that help us modernize, while still honoring our roots. Continued – as this suburban push develops further we should make plans to attract and retain our talented citizens, by considering businesses, recreation, and opportunities that will satisfy and stimulate both new and tenured residents. Uniting the growing population with those that understand the grounded charm of this town will help preserve what we all love, as we continue to build toward the future.
Name: James J. Hager Jr.
Address: 13 Newton Drive
Education: Don Bosco Technical High School, Boston – ’74 Mechanical Drafting; Northeastern University, Boston – Mechanical engineering courses; Wake Technical College, Raleigh – Business and marketing courses.
Personal Info: Married to Michelle, sons Andrew (GHS ’06, Wagner College, BA ’10, USM Muskie School, MPPM ’16 ) and Daniel (GHS ’07, Springfield College, BS ’11)
Employment: Project manager for a consulting engineering firm
Political and community experience: Gorham Town Council 2016-2019, Serve on the Finance and Appointments Sub-Committees, Served on the Gorham School Committee 2000-2012 (Chairman for four terms), Chairman of Gorham Middle School and Great Falls Elementary Building Committees, Previous volunteer coach for Gorham Rec Department
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
Gorham has been a great town to raise a family, and I find it very rewarding to give back to the community that has been so important to us. As a project manager, I have a wide range of experiences dealing with difficult decisions, all of which I believe can benefit our town.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
A major challenge that the town is going to be faced with is the inevitable growth as land transitions from farmland to new homes and subdivisions. It will be a burden on all town services, public spaces, and its infrastructure. I understand how important it is to maintain the public’s trust and I hope my efforts on the Council can balance the needs of the town and taxpayers alike.
Name: Ben Hartwell
Address: 443 Sebago Lake Road
Education: GHS ’98, BS Cornell University ’02, JD University of Maine School of Law ’19
Personal Info: Wife, Kattie, lived in Gorham most of my life
Employment: Owner of Sebago Lake Ranch where I raise grass-fed beef animals, Law Clerk Associate at Law Offices of Bruce W. Hepler in Portland, Former Legal Extern at Maine Farmland Trust, Former Student Attorney at Sagadahoc Co. District Attorney’s Office, Former Law Clerk at Office of Gov. Paul LePage, Owner Ben Fencin’, Sergeant US Army, Infantry – One tour in Iraq, Lab Technician at Capricorn Products in Portland, Technical Consultant at Agricultural Consulting Services, Rochester, NY, Crop Scout at Glades Crop Care, Jupiter, FL
Political and community experience: Six years on the Gorham Town Council (two as Chairman, one as chair of Ordinance Committee), A/V Team Leader at Life Church, Trustee Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10879 (Gorham), Former President Federalist Society-Maine Law Chapter, Former State Director Maine Farm Bureau, Former President Cumberland County Farm Bureau, Former VP of Maine Grass Farmers Network, Former Board Member Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Executive Board, Attended Build Maine multiple times
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
I have a very diverse background where I have been involved with many things. I brought my farming experience to the Council at a critical time when the Town was working on a new comprehensive plan. I worked to put language discussing the importance of agriculture to the Town of Gorham back into the plan. I have worked hard to learn all that I can about the cost of different types of development and how they relate to the cost of providing different community services, what kind of development we should push for, and what kind of development we need to attempt to slow down. By having worked with Maine Farmland Trust, I have developed a good relationship to be able to work with them in to protect our agricultural heritage and protect our future. I have been to Build Maine at least three times where I have expanded my knowledge on building stronger communities by strengthening our downtowns, the place that is the most productive area of town on a square foot basis. I have been a member of Strong Towns, an organization similar to Build Maine but on a national level, that pushes ideas for strengthening our downtowns.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
There is no hiding that growth is the biggest issue impacting our town and our tax rate. We are a natural place for people in the Greater Portland area to live due to our proximity to the city. Unfortunately, the truth is that single family homes cost the Town more in services provided than what they contribute in property tax revenue. This is why we have looked at things like changing road standards/requirements, sprinkler requirements, and impact fees. People want to live here and it’s not fair to just shut off all growth, nor is it even realistic. The question is how do we grow? That’s where we need to take a closer look at what types of development does pay for itself. I have been working with the Town Manager and Greater Portland Council of Governments to prepare a presentation to show this, which I was hoping would be ready for the October council meeting but will likely have to wait until November. Preserving farmland
is a smart move as well. Even though farmland doesn’t contribute a lot of tax revenue under current-use taxation, it still pays more in revenue than what it uses in services.
Name: Janet Howe Kuech
Address: 115 Narragansett Street
Education: BA English: Central Connecticut State; AD General Studies: Castleton Vermont State
Personal Info: Oldest of 4 siblings, aunt to 15, great-aunt to five, niece of eight, daughter of two. I have lived in six different states and on an island in the Dutch West Indies. My husband of 40 years teaches at USM and our two sons and one daughter graduated from there. They are also alumni of GHS, having excelled in academics, athletics, music, and theater.
Employment: My past jobs include: insurance sales and service representative, babysitter, house cleaner, scooper of ice cream and seller of books, auditor of a summer youth employment program, substitute librarian, and assistant manager of a movie theater. For the last 18 years, I have been a Special Ed Ed Tech at White Rock and Narragansett Elementary Schools.
Political and community experience: I have volunteered on several local and statewide political campaigns, writing postcards, making signs, participating in phone banks, and entering data. I belong to a church, serve as Station Leader at Vacation Bible School and support a few missions. Two separate non-profits elected me treasurer. I was on the local All Day K Committee & K-5 Configuration Committee, as well as participated in the Village Alliance visioning exercises. I represent District L on the Maine Education Association Board. These experiences have opened my eyes to many different ways people live.
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
The town I have lived in for 20 years is having growing pains. I believe I can bring a calm, curious wisdom to the Council that honors its history and helps shape its healthy future. I grew up in an agricultural family in a small Vermont town with a tradition of annual Town Meetings. I served as a Selectman, Town Auditor, and Regional Planning Commissioner. These experiences taught me how local government works and how important access to information is.
I also attend many Gorham Town Council and School Committee meetings to represent Jane Q. Public, a face for constituents not present. This gives me an opportunity to share what I discover with interested people. I intend to learn more about the Town Plan and Zoning effects on our tax base and the look of our rapidly growing population. I’m sure I can benefit from training offered by the Maine Municipal Association.
Years of being a part of Building Leadership Teams at school and supervising fifth grade student leaders have taught me to listen carefully and make decisions by consensus. I am familiar with Robert’s Rules.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
Our schools are overcrowded with a viable short-term plan (new K-5 attendance zones with phased-in modular classrooms, while renovating GHS) and long-term plan (expanded industrial park and state aid to build at Narragansett) to address this problem. Hardworking committees of a variety of stake- holders have been working on this for many months. I believe in public education and understand the tension between the local tax burden and paying for what our students need.
I realize how tax exemptions show what we value as a society. I see the effects of income inequality. I believe we each have a purpose and a story to tell. I’ve also witnessed the power of our collective voice. As a member of the MEA Board of Directors, I have been at committee hearings in Augusta.
One way to help Gorham is to advocate at the state and federal level for what we need: money for mandates like Special Education and our infrastructure. We need more community building opportunities like creating a vision for the downtown and school district, We Love Gorham, and Edible Main Street. My colleagues will tell you I have a unique ability to see the big picture without losing the details.
Name: Daniel A. Nichols
Address: 33 Notta Lane
Education: Bridgton Academy, University of Maine, Williams College – School of Banking
Employment: 2009-2018: City of Augusta, Maine Associate Developer, Economic and Community Development; 1998-2009: TD Bank, Vice President, Small Business Development Loan Officer; 1996- 1998: Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, Augusta Federal Savings Bank
Political and community experience: Gorham Economic and Community Development Corp. Board of Directors (Treasurer), Gorham Revolving Loan Committee (Chair), Gorham Village Alliance Board of Directors (Treasurer), Gorham Pride Athletic Capital Campaign Committee, Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar Arbitration Committee, Gorham Comprehensive Plan Review Committee, Rotary International (Past Member, Past Assistant District Governor, Paul Harris Fellow)
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
I am seeking a position on the Gorham Town Council to serve the community that my wife and I reside in and to share the skills that I have acquired in both the private and public sectors to move Gorham forward. I will bring visionary thinking, new energy, and a spirit of collaboration to the Town Council. Because of my experience in both the public and private industry sectors, I have a deep knowledge and appreciation of the importance of transparency, follow-through, problem resolution, consensus building, and customer satisfaction. I believe that my public and private sector career experiences have prepared me well to be a new Town Councilor. I would appreciate your support during the campaign and your vote on November 5.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
Gorham is challenged with a variety of issues that include the environment, an aging population, housing growth, increasing vehicular traffic, school capacity, infrastructure, a strain on public safety and public works departments, recreation, public health, tourism, and fiscal responsibility, to name a few. I am an advocate for a strong, equitable and sustainable economic growth plan to expand Gorham’s commercial and industrial base. That expansion must be managed wisely, fairly, and in concert with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. One way to achieve this is through the recruitment, expansion and development of environmentally-friendly businesses and industries that will ultimately contribute to the quality of life for all Gorham residences. I would also like to strengthen our partnership with the University of Southern Maine here in Gorham and to develop vocational training and opportunities for Gorham students.
Name: Paul Smith
Address: 68 Phinney Street
Education: Gorham High School, SMVTI
Personal: Married to Paulette. Two grown children and 14 grandchildren. I have lived in Gorham all of my life.
Employment: I worked for the State of Maine for three years, the Gorham School Department for one and half years, and the Gorham Public Works Dept. for nine years. For the past thirty years, I have been a self-employed general contractor.
Political and community experience: I have been on the Town Council for three years. I am a member of the Finance Committee, Ordinance Committee and GHS Building Committee.
Why are you running for office and how will your experience benefit the Town Council?
I’m running because I want to continue what I’ve been doing and trying to do for the past three years. Sometimes you can’t get it all done in three years. I just want to continue to work on the council for the people of Gorham.
What do you see as the major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
One of the major issues is trying to get more industrial and commercial business in Gorham. The other thing is working with the school department to address the high school project and other school buildings.