Government Spotlight

Select Board candidate profiles, 2023

Each year, NGX runs profiles of candidates for local office several weeks before election day. This year, there are two candidates running for one open seat on the New Gloucester Select Board.

Following, in alphabetical order, are profiles of candidates Peter Bragdon and Colleen Strickler. Click on their name to view their profile.

PETER BRAGDON
Peter Bragdon

Occupation: Owner Pb n J Yardworks, 3 Dogs Coffee

Education: Gray New Gloucester High School, Central Maine Community College – Associate in Applied Sciences in Business Administration and Supervision
Community organizations/ service: Men’s Fellowship Leader and Angel Tree Prison Fellowship Coordinator – East Auburn Baptist Church, Volunteer Root Cellar – Lewiston, Volunteer – New Gloucester Food Bank, Current New Gloucester Community Fair Chair, Past service on Budget Committee, Capital Improvement Plan Committee, Adhoc Marijuana Committee, Comprehensive Plan Committee, Charter Commission

Interests/hobbies: Camping, fairs and festivals, race cars, hockey, our 3 Border Collies Abby, Amy and Stewart

Family status: Married Jen Bragdon – 2 young adult children Makayla and Tyler

Social media: Facebook Selectmen Peter Bragdon, New Gloucester, ME

WHY DO YOU WANT TO SERVE ON THE SELECT BOARD?
I have served on the Select Board for the past 3 years. I have also served at many other levels of town government. I enjoy helping people and care deeply about New Gloucester. I feel the Select Board has accomplished a lot during the last couple years but we still have a lot of work to do. I feel I have made a significant impact in the community and want to continue to do so.

WHAT KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WOULD MAKE YOU AN EFFECTIVE BOARD MEMBER?
Through my service, I have gained a significant understanding of town government. I served on the Charter Commission that developed the Charter that will guide the town starting July 1st. I have extensive knowledge of the policies of the town and state statue. I believe I am a voice for the people and try to make them be heard. I ask the tough questions and think outside of the box. I am also independent of political parties and represent the people of the town. I do my very best to find a fair solution that meets in the middle or as close as possible. Representing many different belief systems and viewpoints is necessary.

THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE FACING OUR TOWN IS _________ AND THIS IS WHAT I INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT.
The most pressing issue of the town is Growth. Growth includes updating policies to current standards, looking at staff assignment needs and wages, using more technology, changes to zoning, looking for efficiencies, updating facilities, reviewing services and much more while balancing the budget and character of New Gloucester. Using my experience, education, and knowledge I would help the town navigate these challenges. Also, the Charter will require the town to change many policies and some operations. Lastly, New Gloucester struggles in meeting certain needs like many other towns. There is a need for New Gloucester to look into working with neighboring towns to share equipment, staff, services and collective purchasing. I cannot solve the problems or move the town forward alone. It comes down to the majority of the board working together to make the changes. I will continue to listen to the citizens and represent them the best I can, working with the board to have the best outcome.

THE ISSUES FACING OUR TOWN ARE COMPLEX. WHAT SHOULD GUIDE THE BOARD’S GOAL SETTING, POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION?
To meet the needs of the town we need to have clear and fair goals and policies. The residents should have input on the board’s goals and objectives. Ideally, the board would have a  listening session to see what the residents are looking for. It would be beneficial for the board to have a Saturday morning half day workshop to iron out goals, policy and direction.. The residents should be able to see  the goals and the progress of each. Further more, Every department is equally important. When budgets are developed and needs are assessed each department should be treated fairly and equally. Of course in economic crunches there are departments that would receive priority. New Gloucester is not in an economic crunch, but the tax payers should always be considered in how resources are allocated and the financial impact . 

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE VOTERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I think New Gloucester is a friendly and welcoming community. I feel our town has a lot of good people. Self-identity does not matter to me, I represent what is best for New Gloucester. I believe that everyone is equal and no person or group should be raised above. I consider myself a moderate conservative. I believe in helping others. I have experienced and overcome several hurdles including addictions to prescribed opiates and then alcohol that led to me hitting rock bottom and losing most things in my life including my freedom, food insecurities and surviving with support from local food banks, housing insecurities being unable to find affordable housing and living in a camper, financial ruin, and major health complications including a liver transplant and many surgeries. Now I celebrate years of sobriety, home ownership, good health and owning two businesses. With all these experiences, it helps me to be a much better person and understand the many needs of residents. I do homework and research before making decisions. I strive to provide information to the residents to understand processes and terminology. 

COLLEEN STRICKLER
Colleen Strickler

Occupation: Head of Product, JobsInTheUS.com

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, University of Maine, GNG HS

Community organizations/ service: Library Board of Trustees, Friends of the Library, GNG Destination Imagination Team Manager (former), Maine Destination Imagination Board of Directors (former)

Interests/hobbies: Quilting, knitting, reading, birding, travel, Ukulele

Family status: Married with 2 adult children

Social media: Facebook: Colleen Strickler for Select Board
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089666446737

WHY DO YOU WANT TO SERVE ON THE SELECT BOARD?

I want to serve on the select board to provide a new perspective and fresh set of eyes. I grew up in New Gloucester and I love this town, my husband and I chose to raise our kids here because of the community. I haven’t been active in government before, but in recent years I have felt the need to speak out on local issues, such as funding for the Library. If you look back through recent history, we have had so many of the same people making decisions on behalf of the town. I think it is important to have a broad variety of opinions and voices, and I think I can be a new voice. I want to see our town continue to be a lovely place to live, and maintain the small town feel, at the same time I think that we can provide additional ways to strengthen our community.

WHAT KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WOULD MAKE YOU AN EFFECTIVE BOARD MEMBER?
For the past 26 years of my professional life I have held positions where an entrepreneurial mindset has been super important. Knowing the goal, what is the best way to achieve that goal? Gathering knowledge from experts to help prioritizing tasks based on what is the next “best decision” to get us closer to the goal. How to provide an improved product or service in a sometimes incremental ways so that there is continuous improvement. I am by nature a consensus builder, and I hope to have the opportunity to be a consensus builder for New Gloucester.

THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE FACING OUR TOWN IS ______________ AND THIS IS WHAT I INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT.
I believe the most pressing issue facing our town is managing growth and building community. As much as we are often focused on solving issues that we didn’t plan for, we need to also be forward looking. What are the goals that were set forth in the Comprehensive plan, how many of them have been implemented, and how do we work towards achieving more? I believe that we should be actively working towards those goals for the purpose of managing our growth, maintaining our lovely rural way of life, and building a strong community. Our recent town meeting should be an example of how we can be our best as a community when we all work together towards common goals.

THE ISSUES FACING OUR TOWN ARE COMPLEX. WHAT SHOULD GUIDE THE BOARD IN GOAL SETTING, POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION?
Decisions should be guided by our Charter and Comprehensive Plan. Priority should be placed on solutions that provide the greatest good, to the greatest population, with the highest priority being given to critical or urgent needs. I would also make it a goal to hire the best people we can, particularly for department heads, and allow them to run their departments with the understanding that they came to the position with the education and experience that we hired them for.

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE VOTERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I grew up in New Gloucester and I love it here, my closest friends are from New Gloucester, this will always be “Home” for me. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel internationally, which has given me the perspective that no matter where you are in the world people want the same things; a good life for their family, a home, and security.

Editor’s note: Corrected to reflect that there is one open Select Board seat rather than two. Apologies for our error.