by Mary Grow

As expected, the three unopposed candidates on China’s Nov. 4 local ballot won their elections.

Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported the following results:

— For two-year terms on the select board, Brent Chesley got 922 votes and Natasha Littlefield got 1,092 votes.
— For a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 18 board, Heather Neal got 1,228 votes.

For select board, there were 70 write-in votes, and 996 voters cast blank ballots. Chesley has served on the board before; Littlefield starts her first term. They succeed Wayne Chadwick and Jeanne Marquis, who did not seek re-election.

The RSU ballot had 29 write-ins and 283 blank ballots. Neal was appointed to the RSU board after her predecessor, Dawn Castner, resigned earlier this fall. John Soifer is China’s other representative on the board.

A majority of the China voters who came to the polls opposed both state referendum questions. The vote on amending voting rules was 711 in favor, 841 against. On adding a state red flag law, the vote was closer: 783 against, 763 in favor.

Almost half of China’s 3,157 registered voters cast ballots before or on Nov. 4.

John Glowa Sr.

State retiree and longtime environmental and wildlife advocate John M. Glowa, Sr. of South China, has become an independent candidate for governor. “I will be the peoples’ governor. The people have the power if they choose to use it. Maine’s government has failed us, and the two major parties aren’t solving our problems. They are causing them. We should not be forced to vote between the lesser of two evils. We can make Maine a democracy, but only if we work together to build a true grassroots peoples’ movement and reform the “system.”

Glowa, 71, has a B.S. degree in economics from Southern Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine. He worked for the State of Maine for nearly 30 years, retiring in 2016. With the state, he worked primarily at the Department of Environmental Protection trying to enforce Maine’s water quality laws in a system that favors polluters.

“I believe I am the most qualified of any of the candidates. I am the only candidate who has worked in the executive branch and has seen first-hand a system that is rigged to benefit the government and the favored special interests. I am the only candidate with a master’s degree in public administration, and I know how government is supposed to work. I am also a long-time union member. Maine’s government is the product of two centuries of partisan politics and politically motivated legislative and-aids. The “system” is undemocratic and in desperate need of a re-boot. We need to go back to the basics and look at our constitution, laws, rules, and programs because the “system” is simply not working for Maine people. To my knowledge, there is not a single other candidate who acknowledges the need for, or who has a plan to reform Maine’s government.”

Glowa is a seventh generation Mainer born in Presque Isle. As a young boy in the 1950’s, he and his family moved to Connecticut for work. At the age of fifteen, he became the state’s youngest government official when the mayor of Shelton appointed him to the newly formed conservation commission. He spent his college years raising a family, working full-time in factories and going to school nights. He and his family moved to Aroostook County in1983, and to support them, he worked on potato harvests, at a gas station, an insurance agency, a hotel, and finally a hospital stockroom. His family relied on FmHA housing, food stamps, and free government cheese to get by. He was hired by the state in 1986, moved to South China, and began work for the Maine Department of Labor as an economic research analyst.

He is a lifelong environmentalist and wildlife advocate and has learned that change will only come from the outside. “The “system” is set up to give the appearance of democracy and fairness. Practically speaking, if the government doesn’t want it to happen, it doesn’t happen. Those in the government who benefit from this rigged system do not want change and certainly do not want to rock the boat. Well, the boat is sinking and the people of Maine need to step up to the plate to keep the boat afloat.

“Maine doesn’t need a politician, lawyer or businessman in the Blaine House. Maine needs a leader who knows how government is supposed to work and who will fight to end homelessness and hunger, fix our public education system, help those with drug addiction, stand up for reproductive rights, care for those with mental illness, support our working families, prevent children from dying of abuse or neglect, defend our LGBTQ+ community, and protect our natural resources and environment while sustainably growing our economy. Maine needs a governor who will put people first.”

Contact: John M. Glowa, Sr. phone 207-660-3801; email johnglowaforgovernor@gmail.com; website https://johnglowaforgovernor.com.