Local Activities

"John has been the force behind much of the good that has occurred in Unity in the last decade." - Rod McElroy, Unity, former State Representative

• Past Volunteer Executive Director, Unity Barn Raisers (UBR)

  UBR is a local non-profit organization that undertakes various community improvement projects. Since it's creation in 1996, UBR has transformed a vacant building in a new Community Center, renovated several other downtown properties, planted over 70 large street trees, created a weekly Farmers Market, provided low-interest loans to several small local businesses (in Unity and Troy), built 2 miles of new community walking trails, and done all this without using a penny of local tax dollars. John was one of the founders of UBR and has contributed over 5000 hours of his time to help the group's visions come to life.

• Chair, Unity Planning Board
• Chair (and previously Co-Chair), Unity Comprehensive Plan Committee

  Unity has a well-deserved reputation for good planning. John has been actively involved in Unity's planning efforts for 13 years. He and dairy farmer Dick Perkins co-chaired the Comprehensive Plan Committee that resulted in the passage of a new land use ordinance in 1995. Since then, John has chaired both that committee and the Planning Board. In John's words: "Unity has planned some things well and some not so well, but without a doubt, we're much better off having taken planning seriously. I don't want to think where Unity would be without good planning."

• Past Trustee and Board Chair, Unity College

  With almost 120 employees, Unity College is western Waldo County's largest employer, and a major contributor to the economy and culture of our region. John served on the board in key positions (as Chair and Treasurer) during a critical time for the college.

"John has demonstrated an outstanding ability to build linkages among issues, organizations, and financial resources. The fact that John is so often selected as a key leader of any board on which he serves speaks volumes about how he gains peer respect and trust." -- Mary Ann Hayes, Thorndike, Senior Planner, State Planning Office

• President, Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG)

  KVCOG provides community planning and economic development services to 63 central Maine communities, including 6 towns located within House District 110 (Burnham, Freedom, Palermo, Thorndike, Troy, and Unity). John has played a pivotal role at KVCOG, leading an in-depth strategic planning effort( in 2000-2001) that sharpened the organization's focus and catalyzed needed internal changes. With a talented new Executive Director (Ken Young) working with John as President, KVCOG is now poised to realize its full promise supporting local municipal work and coordinating critical regional services.

• Chair, Maine Department of Transportation Regional Advisory Committee #4 (RTAC 4)

  RTAC 4 provides policy advice and public input to MDOT on projects occurring throughout central Maine, including portions of western Waldo County. RTAC 4 is widely considered one of the best run and most effective of the 7 RTACs statewide. John has led it for over 2 years.

• Member, Legislative Task Force on Farm Vitality

  John was appointed to this special Task Force by the Speaker of the Maine House as one of only four citizen members. The Task Force held exhaustive hearings in late 1999, and then authored a special report that has served as a blueprint for needed changes in Maine's farm policy. Several of the Task Force's recommendations have come to life, including new efforts to help market Maine-grown products and a highly successful "Farms for the Future" program. John was the principal author of the legislation creating Farms for the Future, which provides focused services to help small farms operate more profitably.

• Member, Maine Commission on Hunger & Food Security

  Governor King appointed John to this special Commission, which actively examined a range of interconnected issues (e.g., hunger, poverty, access to jobs, transportation) from 2000 to 2002. The Commission issued their final report in April 2002, and its recommendations will be up for consideration in the next session of the Legislature.

"John is a leader in efforts to support more sustainable farming, both here in Maine and beyond. He's doing some really great work." -Russell Libby, Executive Director, MOFGA

• Past Chair, New England Governors' Conference Technology Advisory Committee

  John had the honor of leading this special initiative of the six New England governors in 1990 and 1991. The major result was the creation of the "New England Biotechnology Collaborative" which connected that important and growing industry sector with state policies and programs.

• Chair, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG)

  NESAWG is a network of organizations working on farm and food-related issues throughout the northeastern states. It has been a major force in several key initiatives supporting sustainable agriculture. John has chaired the group for the past 3 years.

• Board Member, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture.

  The "Campaign" is one of the principal groups fighting for needed reforms in federal agricultural policy. Its recent focus has been on the farm bill. That bill-although best known for misguided policies that subsidize large corporate farms-did include several progressive reforms brought about by the Campaign and its partners. These reforms include removing subsidies for some factory livestock operations, new programs aimed at soil and wildlife conservation, more funding for farmland preservation, and more focus on small-scale farms.

• Executive Director, Maine Farmland Trust (MFT)

  MFT is a state-wide non-profit organization that supports farmers and helps keep working farms working, primarily by helping protect farmland. MFT has worked with over 100 farmland owners, and is directly responsible for preserving over 13,000 acres of farmland and enabling over 38 new farmers to begin operations.

• Director, Maine Farms Project (MFP)

  MFP is a program of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a statewide nonprofit organization with a national reputation for excellence. (CEI provides a broad range of services, from building affordable housing to helping business owners access capital.) John created MFP in 1995 to provide critical services to Maine's small farms. Since then, over 200 farms have received business planning, marketing assistance, technical support, or financing. MFP has been recognized nationally for it creative programs and effectiveness.

• Independent Consultant

  John has undertaken dozens of projects for Maine clients over the last 11 years. Most projects have involved an environmental or economic development theme. Sample projects:

  • Conceptualized a new program for introducing the latest techniques of environmentally-conscious manufacturing (ECM) within Maine, and then wrote a successful federal grant proposal (for $500,000) that enabled twenty-five Maine manufacturing firms to implement the program. Client: Maine Metal Products Association
  • Examined the statewide economic impact of applied research activities in twelve areas where Maine has strength, including forestry, oceanography, biotechnology, and geographic information systems. Client: Maine Science & Technology Foundation
  • Developed a conceptual plan and financial model for a Maine-based farming and forestry operations designed around sustainable principles. Client: A socially-conscious investment firm.