John Glow (image credit: ballotpedia)

Former democratic gubernatorial candidate and longtime environmentalist and wildlife advocate John M. Glowa Sr., of South China, is considering mounting an independent campaign for governor. “Americans are fed up with politics in general and mutually destructive partisan politics in particular. Maine doesn’t need a politician in the Blaine House. Maine needs a true leader, and I believe I have the education, experience, and skill set to be that leader,” said Glowa.

Glowa, 71, has a B.S. degree in economics from what is now 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 thirty years, retiring in 2016. With the state, he worked primarily in water enforcement at the Department of Environmental Protection. During his years in government and his decades of wildlife advocacy outside government, he learned how Maine’s government works and doesn’t work. His education taught him how government is supposed to work. According to Glowa, “Maine’s government is not a democracy. Any citizen who has tried and failed to get the government to effect positive change has learned that Maine’s government is rigged to benefit those in government and the favored special interests. Regardless of how good or how popular an idea is, if the government doesn’t want it to happen, it won’t happen. The reverse is also true.”

Since state employees are forbidden from running for state elective office, Glowa ran for the Maine House immediately upon retirement in 2016, and subsequently ran for the Senate and governor, all as a democrat. In 2022, he challenged Janet Mills to a primary because he believes in democracy and that people, not parties, should choose who is on the ballot. His bid was unsuccessful after the democratic party machine endorsed Mills eight months before the scheduled primary, violating its own charter by doing so.

“My experience both inside and outside government has taught me that change will not come from the inside. Those who benefit from a rigged system will never act to reform it. Change must only come from the outside. As an independent, I will answer only to the people, and I will always put the public interest before the special interests” said Glowa. He considers himself a social progressive and a fiscal conservative. “In my opinion, the government has no business telling anyone what they can or cannot do with their reproductive system” he said. He supports a progressive tax structure, eliminating tax loopholes and exemptions, decreasing taxes for those of lower or moderate incomes and, if necessary, increasing taxes for those who can best afford it. He supports maximizing government effectiveness and efficiency to minimize tax burdens while still meeting the needs of Maine people.

“Maine’s government is failing its people miserably. Why are we spending public money to build windmills when children are dying of abuse and neglect, homeless people are sleeping in tents, those with mental health issues are going untreated, and the addicted are dying for lack of help? This is disgraceful. Why, after two centuries, does Maine’s government still have no effective apolitical internal program auditing function? Why are there effectively no checks and balances between the three branches of government? As governor, one of my first tasks will be to appoint a blue-ribbon panel of apolitical government experts to examine every word in Maine’s constitution, all laws, all rules and all programs and recommend much needed changes. This continuous improvement process will be conducted with much public input and complete transparency. Until we reform this dysfunctional government, our problems, most of which government has created, will only continue to worsen”, said Glowa.