Stearns will seek GOP nomination for Maine House

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — A retired school superintendent is the first candidate to announce their intentions to run for the Maine House seat being vacated by Rep. Peter Johnson.
    Paul Stearns of Guilford said that he’ll be seeking the Republican nomination to run for Johnson’s seat which was held for the maximum four terms by the Greenville lawmaker

    “Pete has done an excellent job on behalf of the people in this region,” Stearns said. “He was warrior for the interest of small- and medium-sized schools. I hope I can continue his legacy.”
    Stearns, 58, said that some Republicans asked him to consider running after Johnson’s final term expired. “I retired from SAD 4 in October so I agreed to seek the nomination,” Stearns said. “I know that school funding is going to be a major issue and I certainly have plenty of experience in that field.”
    The Guilford educator said that SAD 4 was “way ahead of the curve” on consolidation; but when the actual law went into effect “districts like ours were swept aside. There are still a lot of provisions in the laws which are very hard on impoverished areas.”
    Stearns said that since financial support of schools makes up the bulk of property taxes, any improvement to the school funding formula “will have a direct impact on home and business owners. But I must say that people in SAD 4 have been very supportive of our school system.”
    The proposed east-west highway could also be a major campaign issue next year, Stearns said. “I think the people of the region have made it quite clear that they’re not interested in it,” he said, “but it may be beneficial to keep an open mind on the concept.”
    Stearns said that Gov. Paul LePage “has said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to expand MaineCare because we, like many other states, have become so dependent on federal funds. These are not ‘magic dollars.’ They have to come from somewhere.”
    But Stearns added that the problems won’t be solved quickly or inexpensively. “It’s difficult to discuss cutbacks when you actually talk to the people being affected by them,” he said.
    Stearns was superintendent of SAD 4 for 10 years and is the immediate past president of the Maine School Superintendents’ Association.
    Previously, he was principal of SeDoMoCha Middle School in Dover-Foxcroft for four years, principal of Valley High School in Bingham for three years and held a variety of teaching positions in SAD 4 and also coached varsity boys’ soccer.
    His wife, Melissa, teaches second grade at Piscataquis Community Elementary School and the couple has two grown children: Sara, who lives in Saco; and Benjamin, who works for the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas.
    Johnson’s district has changed slightly due to reapportionment and has also been renumbered from District 27 to District 119. While most of the district is intact, Cambridge, Kingsbury Plantation and Brownville have been removed and Parkman and Sangerville have been added.