WINDHAM – Windham resident Martin Shuer announced last week his candidacy for Senate District 12.

The seat, held for the last seven years by Democrat Bill Diamond, covers Windham, Raymond, Standish, Frye Island, Casco and Hollis.

Shuer is running as an unenrolled independent. While Diamond is term-limited and no other Democrat has yet expressed a desire to run for the seat, Windham’s Gary Plummer, a Republican who has served House District 111 for the last seven years, announced in November he will run.

Shuer, 57, is a 26-year resident of Windham, lives on Colby Drive off River Road in Windham and operates his own photography business. He is married and has two children attending Windham Middle School.

Shuer has been politically active in recent years as a member of the River Road public advisory committee and has attended many Windham Town Council meetings, speaking on issues ranging from River Road to the town’s hiring of an audit firm. He is also an assistant Scoutmaster of Windham Boy Scout Troop 805 and a member of the stakeholder group for development of public facilities at the Donna Beth Lippman Park at Chaffin Pond in North Windham.

Shuer says he’s motivated to run for state Senate to fight corruption in government.

“(I’m) running … on my M.A.I.N.E. platform (Maine Alliance In Need of Ethical government),” he said. “It’s a logical progression of my long-standing citizen advocacy efforts. (I) have become an effective voice for many residents who feel frustrated or disenfranchised by local and state government. (My candidacy) comes from a sense of personal responsibility I have in trying to do the right thing as a citizen. (I) believe I can have a greater impact on policy and direction by becoming a member of the Maine Senate. Our state and nation are at a crossroads and we need effective bipartisan leadership to regain the public’s trust in order to move forward in a positive direction. I’ve decided it’s time to get off the sidelines and into the game.”

Shuer’s goals are to open government and work on infrastructure issues and job creation.

“I commend and support Sen. Richard Rosen in his introducing legislation LD 1465 (SP 456) in the interest of expanding Freedom of Information Act/Right to Know law,” Shuer said. “I will work in an independent but bipartisan manner to address the serious issues before us: failing infrastructure, job creation, restoring public confidence in due process under the law, creating a vision for long-term initiatives that will benefit not only the constituents of District 12 but all Maine citizens.”

Shuer will be running against Plummer, who is in his fourth term representing Windham in the House of Representatives. Plummer can’t run for the District 111 seat due to term limits.

Since the mid-1970s, when he ran for the newly formed Windham Town Council, Plummer has never lost an election. He served three terms on the council, six four-year terms as a Cumberland County commissioner, and four two-year terms in the House.

“I know Martin as a very intelligent and articulate individual and he is committed and dedicated to the things he works on, and I certainly welcome him to the contest,” Plummer said when contacted last week.

Shuer is not intimidated by Plummer’s election record, saying, “What’s important is that I’m not potentially running against Gary Plummer, I’m running for the people of District 12. My success on Election Day will be determined by my ability to engage the residents of Windham, Raymond, Frye Island, Casco, Standish, and Hollis in a positive dialogue about what I intend to do in serving them in Augusta.”

With signature gathering not allowed until Jan. 1, neither Shuer nor Plummer have submitted their paperwork to the Secretary of State’s Office. As an independent candidate not affiliated with a political party, Shuer must collect a minimum of 200 signatures from any registered voter within the district to get on the ballot. He has until June 1 to do so and wouldn’t face a primary contest. The Republican Plummer must gather a minimum of 100 signatures from enrolled Republicans by March 15 and could face a primary battle if another Republican enters the race.

Ann Marie Grenier, a Republican from Standish, who collected 40 percent of the vote in her 2010 bid for Senate District 12 against Diamond, has not ruled out a second run.

“I’m undecided on what I’m going to be doing, but I’m remaining active,” Grenier said Monday. “But I’ll wait to hear from people in the area.”

Martin Shuer