John has a graduate education in state and local government administration. Prior to retirement he served as chief executive of several organizations that provide a broad range of services to public entities. The organizations include the Maine Municipal Association, the Housing Authority Insurance Group, Government Entities Mutual and others in the Northeast. He and his wife Diane retired to a home on Sabbathday Lake that they had owned for more than twenty-four years. Both John and Diane served as municipal or school board elected officials in Hallowell, Maine. They have two daughters that live nearby, a son and seven grandchildren.