FREEPORT – Freeport resident Lee Schultheis and friends are out and about, gathering signatures to get his name on the ballot as an independent candidate for governor. They only have a little more than 200 signatures at this point and 4,000 are needed by the end of May, so Schultheis and his supporters have some work to do.

When all that is said and done, here’s the kicker: Schultheis doesn’t necessarily want your vote. Not really. His campaign slogan, in fact, is “GBNR,” which stands for “Governor, But Not Really.”

The fact that he isn’t out to win against incumbent Gov. Paul LePage, Democrat U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent Elliot Cutler doesn’t translate, however, to a lack of political ideals.

Schultheis wants to change the conversation and the partisanship in Augusta that discourage discourse and compromise.

“The conversation I’m trying to change is to actually start a conversation,” he said. “There’s no cooperation between the parties.”

Schultheis, 58, believes he can accomplish much toward that end on Facebook.

“I primarily focused early on with this on Facebook, because I think that is the medium that can either make or break this type of effort,” he said. “Websites are nice, but what is this, the 2000s? I’ve only got about 75 friends on Facebook, but the beauty of Facebook is the share feature. I figured if I can get a good percentage of my Facebook friends to share the content that I post on the GBNR2014 Facebook page, it can grow rather nicely, in grassroots fashion. We’re already at 95 likes on the GBNR page.”

This is his first foray into politics, or into community involvement, for that matter.

“I believe in starting at the top,” he said.

Schultheis, who lives on Kelsey Ridge Road, calls himself an independent who leans a bit right fiscally and a bit left socially. He grew up in a rural part of eastern Long Island, N.Y., and came to Freeport with his first wife in 1991. He started a mutual fund business that he was able to run partly from his home and partly on two early-morning flights a week to New York City. Schultheis retired two years ago.

“The political process is what I want to try to improve,” Schultheis said. “I am trying to get people to void their party, if you will.”

More patience is needed in the political process, he said.

“Maine is at the tail end of the economy,” he said. “We’re not going to wag the dog. I’m going to be the most realistic person in the race. Separate the message from the messenger. I’m not a fan of ideology.”

One change in the political system that could help, in Schultheis’ opinion: Revise the manner in which we decide all elections, like Portland did in its last mayoral race. The city instituted ranked voting, which he believes gives independents a better chance.

“Ranked-choice voting, in a race with more than two candidates, first allows for every voter’s first choice vote to be counted. If no candidate receives a majority, a process of eliminating candidates and transferring votes begins,” he said.

Regarding the economy, Schultheis again turns to the Internet as an important tool. He thinks the state should use Maine’s “brand – its natural resources and beauty, its focus on the environment, its reputation as a good place to raise a family, its relaxed lifestyle – to attract professionals here.”

“With the Internet, people can work out of their homes,” he said. “Part of state government should reach out to industries that are compatible with that brand.”

Schultheis has no campaign manager, but “tons” of content, he says, on his website.

“This is the best thing I’ve got now, and I’m going to put it out there and get some feedback,” he said.

Lee Schultheis, a retired mutual funds manager who lives in Freeport, is hoping to run as an independent for governor under the GBNR slogan – “Governor But Not Really.”