{"id":11998,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/ronald-b-russell\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","slug":"ronald-b-russell","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/ronald-b-russell\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronald B. Russell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Represented HD17 (2023-2024) in 131st Maine Legislature. Won that race in 2022 and lost my reelection for that seat in 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My top three priorities in this election cycle are property tax reform and relief; \nuniversal healthcare (ultimately Medicare for All);  and dam safety and funding for repair and restoration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am running because I do not think the current representation for District 17 aligns with the needs of the people of Bucksport, Verona Island, Orland and Penobscot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The free Maine Community College program along with the Business Compact with the help of the Alfond Center in training our young and older Mainers for the jobs supporting our economy is exactly the type of program we need to prepare our state for the future. Even fortified more by the cooperation between our\nCommunity College System and our University System. What doesn\u2019t work is our disjointed healthcare system because of the lack of a true national healthcare program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having served on the Labor Committee in my first term and looking to also join the Tax Committee in my second term, I feel my background gives me important insights to help the state reform our property tax system which has exacerbated affordability for many Mainers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Surveys show the economy is the top concern of voters. What is a specific proposal addressing Maine voters\u2019 economic anxieties that you\u2019d work to make law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have followed the work of the Maine Real Estate Property Tax Relief Task Force headed by Sen. Nicole Grohoshki and Rep. Ann Matlock.\nTheir work is not complete but has been thorough, and I do believe will offer valuable recommendations for reforming the system we now have.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Ronald","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"B","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Russell","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":11997,"voter_guide_candidate_age":77,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Retired in 2018 from 42-year executive business career with the Darling\u2019s Corporation","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Born in Bangor, grew up in Penobscot and Castine, married for 54 years to Jeanne Jewett from Bucksport, four children, eight grandchildren","voter_guide_candidate_education":"St Paul\u2019s School, 1968; University of Pennsylvania, bachelor's degree, 1971","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/14Ps5JcUcC5Y4nEaK07YjQr9pzYE6Zu3S\/view?usp=drive_link","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-11998","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","hentry","vg_party-democratic"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11999,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11998\/revisions\/11999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=11998"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=11998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}