Local elections drawing interest in Windham, Raymond

By Ed Pierce

If you haven’t noticed it by now, local candidates and campaigns are coming down the home stretch as voters across Windham and Raymond will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

A proliferation of candidate signs dot the landscape at 
School Road and Gray Road in Windham. Absentee
ballots are now available at the town clerk offices in
Windham and Raymond for the upcoming election
on Nov. 5. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Ballots will be cast to fill seats in local and state races including State Senate in Windham and Raymond, State Representative in two different Windham districts and one in Raymond. Voters also will cast ballots for two Windham Town Council seats and for RSU Board of Directors positions.

In Windham, there are three individuals running for two Windham Town Council seats. Incumbent William D. Reiner is unopposed in seeking a three-year term representing the town’s West District. Competing for an At-Large council seat for a three-year term are incumbent David Nadeau and former town council chair Clayton Haskell.

Three candidates are vying for two seats in Windham on the RSU 14 Board of Directors for three-year terms. The top two candidates in this race receiving votes will earn seats on the board. Candidates include Frances Etheridge, Virginia Woodman, Jessica Bridges. Kathleen March has announced her candidacy earlier this year but has withdrawn from the race.

As a reminder, all seats on the RSU 14 Board of Directors and the Windham Town Council are non-partisan.

For Maine State Senate District 26 representing Windham, part of Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Westbrook, incumbent Tim Nangle of Windham, a Democrat, will be opposed by Republican challenger Kenneth J. Cianchette of Windham.

Two candidates are seeking the Maine House of Representatives District 106 seat representing part of Windham. Incumbent Barbara Bagshaw of Windham, a Republican, is running for re-election and is opposed by Democrat challenger Doris Poland of Windham.

Three candidates are running for the Maine House of Representatives District 107 seat representing part of Windham. Incumbent Democrat Jane Pringle of Windham is opposed by Republican challenger Mark Cooper of Windham and Independent challenger and former State Representative Patrick Corey of Windham.

Several candidates are on the ballot in Raymond vying for the Maine House of Representatives District 86 seat, representing part of Raymond, part of Poland, Casco and Frye Island. Longtime incumbent Jessica Fay, a Democrat, is term limited and Republican Rolf A. Olsen is challenged by Democrat Craig Messigner for the position.

Voters will also determine the outcome for five statewide referendum questions in the election.

For Windham residents, there will be a Candidate Forum from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Windham Town Hall gymnasium, 8 School Road in Windham.

This forum will be a moderated event with a 30 minute "meet and greet" session prior to the event.

Windham candidates for State Senate, State Representative, Town Council and RSU 14 Board of Directors have been invited to participate.

Residents seeking to vote absentee may do so at their respective town clerk's office as soon as absentee ballots are available. By law, absentee ballots must be made available at least 30 days before the election at the municipal clerk's office. Voters do not need to complete an absentee application if they vote in person at the clerk's office. The deadline for absentee voting in the presence of the clerk, unless special circumstances exist, is the Thursday before the election, which in this case is Thursday, Oct. 31.

If requesting an absentee ballot, to be counted, ballots must be received by the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Those seeking to mail an absentee ballot must request a ballot no later than 15 days prior to Election Day and they must be returned no later than seven days prior to Election Day.

In-person voting will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Windham High School for Windham residents and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Jordan-Small Middle School for Raymond residents. <

Candidates make pitch for local votes

By Ed Pierce

Voting is the expression of a community’s commitment to their neighbors and to one another and here in Windham and Raymond, that allegiance will once again be demonstrated on Tuesday, Nov. 8 when area residents head to the polls to cast their ballots in state and local races.

Candidate signs for the upcoming election proliferate
on the median at the intersection of School Road and 
Route 202 in Windham. The general election across 
Maine will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8. 
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

One elected position to be determined is Maine Senate District 26 representing Windham and Raymond, where current the incumbent, Bill Diamond, a Democrat from Windham, is term-limited and his seat will be filled by either Gary Plummer of Windham, a Republican, or Tim Nangle of Windham, a Democrat.

Plummer is a lifelong resident of Windham and a retired teacher who has served on the Windham Town Council, the Cumberland County Commission, as a Maine State Representative and in the Maine State Senate. Nangle is a former Windham Town Councilor who works as a Help Desk Technician.

Three seats in the Maine House of Representatives will also be decided by voters in the election.

For Maine House District 86, representing Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Poland, two candidates are on the ballot. Jessica Fay of Raymond, a Democrat, is a florist and an incumbent seeking re-election in a newly renumbered district. Fay is opposed by Republican Greg Foster of Raymond, a forester and business owner.

In Windham, two candidates are vying to represent Windham in Maine House District 107, which has been renumbered but is the seat being vacated by current State Rep. Patrick Corey, who also is term-limited and cannot seek re-election this election cycle. Newcomer Michael Hall of Windham, a Republican, is a project manager and supervisor for a biotechnology company and a small business owner who is opposed by former State Representative Jane Pringle of Windham, a Democrat. Pringle is a retired primary care physician and physician educator who served in the Maine Legislature from 2012 to 2014.

Two candidates are competing for the right to represent Windham in the newly renumbered Maine House District 106. Democrat Mark Bryant has represented this district in the past but also is term-limited for this election. Barbara Bagshaw of Windham, a Republican and an art educator and nanny, is opposed by Democrat Dana Reed of Windham, a retired U.S. Navy chaplain and a music educator.

Campaigning for election to a five-year term as a Portland Water District Trustee representing Windham and Raymond is Louise Douglas of Windham. Douglas was first elected to the Portland Water District board in 2017 and has served as the Portland Water District’s Trustees chair for the past two years.

Several RSU 14 Board of Directors seats are on the ballot in November.

Voters will choose two individuals to serve in three-year positions on the RSU 14 Board of Directors representing Windham from a field of three candidates.

Incumbent Marge Govoni of Windham, who is retired, is the former RSU 14 board chair and is seeking re-election. Govoni has served on the RSU 14 Board of Directors since 2008 and is a member of the Windham Planning Board and one of the founders of the Windham Community Garden.

Former board member Christina Small of Windham also is a candidate for the RSU 14 Board. She was first appointed to a seat on the board in 2020 to fill a vacancy and served through 2021. She is the noon monitor at Windham Primary School.

First-time candidate Caitlynn Downs of Windham is also running for one of the available RSU 14 Board of Directors seats. Downs is an office manager for State Farm Insurance and has volunteered as a Big Sister with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Organization for more than 10 years and was honored as the organization’s “Match of the Year” in 2019.

All three candidates on the ballot for Windham Town Council are unopposed.

John Henry of Windham is running for an At-Large position for town council for a three-year term. He is a civil engineer and formerly served as a member of the Windham Planning Board in 2007.

Current Windham Town Council Chair Jarrod Maxfield is unopposed for re-election to represent the town’s North District for a three-year term. Maxfield is a business owner who has served as a town councilor since 2016.
Nicholas Kalogerakis is unopposed for re-election to a three-year term on the council representing the South District. He is a businessman who has served on the town council since 2019. He’s also served on the town’s Long Range Planning Committee, the Windham Economic Committee, and the Windham Planning Board. <

Editor’s note: Please see candidate profiles and Q&A in this edition for State Senate and Maine House candidates from Windham and Raymond. Next week’s newspaper will include candidate profiles for RSU 14’s Board of Directors and the Windham Town Council.

Plummer to seek return to Maine State Senate

By Ed Pierce

A familiar face has thrown his hat in the ring to succeed Bill Diamond in representing Windham in the Maine State Senate.

Republican Gary Plummer has announced his intention to campaign for Windham’s District 26 Senate seat this fall to replace incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Diamond, who is term limited. Plummer has extensive experience serving in the Maine Legislature, including as a state representative and a state senator.

Former State Rep. and State Sen. Gary Plummer, a Republican,
will seek Windham's District 26 State Senate seat this fall, in
an election to replace Sen. Bill Diamond, who is term limited.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

“A year ago, I didn’t want to run, I’m retired,” Plummer said. “My wife told me I needed to run for Maine Senate. I can bring something there, which is experience. I know the system and I know the people. Deciding to run has been a slow process for me, but I can do it and I’m in it to win.”

A 1964 graduate of Windham High School, Plummer says he first became interested in politics while attending Dirigo Boys State as a high school junior in 1963. After graduation, he went on to earn a degree in education from Gorham State Teachers College and spent 13 years teaching in Standish before joining Manchester School as an elementary school teacher in 1982.

Plummer was asked by his former biology teacher at Windham High, Bob Hunt, to help serve on a committee examining if Windham should establish its own police force in the mid-1970s and it gave him insight into the workings of town government.

That knowledge expanded further when a referendum converting Windham government to the Council-Town Manager system was passed by voters. Hunt suggested to Plummer that he should run for town council, and he was elected to a council seat in November 1974.

“I loved being a town councilor,” Plummer said. “I liked building and creating the town government we know today. I cast the deciding vote breaking a 3-3 tie to create the Windham Police Department. But after serving eight years on the council things became more routine and the excitement of doing something new started to go away.”

He then ran for Cumberland County Commission and was elected for several four-year terms as a county commissioner.

“It was an enjoyable experience, and I learned a great deal about public safety,” Plummer said. “During my time as a commissioner, we helped transition the position of corrections officer to a career rather than just be a stepping stone to other law enforcement positions.”

His friend, State Rep. David Tobin of Windham, informed Plummer that he would not be running for re-election and Plummer, who had retired as a teacher by then, campaigned and won election as State Representative for Windham in 2004, serving eight years in that role before running and serving one term as Windham’s state senator from 2012 to 2014.

“It was an honor I never took lightly,” Plummer said. “It was a steep learning curve at first. Going from dealing with issues in town government to the politics in Augusta was challenging. My first term was an eye-opening experience. I didn’t expect everything to be so political. But I learned to work with people to get things done.”

Plummer says his willingness to work with others to accomplish legislation that benefits the residents of Windham and everyone in Maine is needed in Augusta and having someone with experience is critical right now.

“I can work with just about everyone,” Plummer said.

District 26 has been redrawn by the Maine Legislature and now encompasses Casco, Frye Island, Windham, Raymond, and now a portion of Westbrook. Currently no other challengers have stepped forward to run for the Republican nomination for the state senate seat, but if there is, a primary election will be conducted in June.

He lives in Windham with his wife Betty in a home his grandparents built on land they bought in 1910. His first wife died and between them, he and Betty have four children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

His interests include antique automobiles and Plummer is the proud owner of 1965 Ford Mustang and a 1949 Ford F-150 pickup truck, close to the one he learned to drive on as a teen in his father’s hayfield.

“I like just about anything regarding history,” he said. “I volunteer with the Windham Historical Society and helped to establish the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program.”

Plummer said that he has spoken with Diamond about continuing to champion child welfare issues in the state and if elected, he would also focus on resolving domestic violence issues in Maine.

“A lot needs to be done,” he said. “I am also looking to help address the drug issues in our state and making sure the right individuals are chosen to serve as school resource officers.” <