{"id":12303,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/dakota-dupuis\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T18:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:56:44","slug":"dakota-dupuis","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/dakota-dupuis\/","title":{"rendered":"Dakota Dupuis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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First time running for office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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My priorities are to streamline patrol and corrections operations through technology for scheduling, policy management and training records; create a behavioral health coordinator to connect residents with mental health, substance-use, housing and employment resources and address root causes; and ensure deputies have the training, equipment and resources needed for excellent service while strengthening accountability, transparency and public trust.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m running because Hancock County is my home. I grew up and built my career here, and I\u2019m now raising my family here. I want to continue improving the sheriff\u2019s office, strengthen accountability and transparency, build public trust, and help create a safer county for residents, visitors and those who work here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your town\/county? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hancock County\u2019s biggest challenge is behavioral health, mental health and substance use, which contribute to many calls for service. An opportunity is implementing the behavioral health coordinator position mentioned previously while addressing both supply and demand: hold drug traffickers accountable while connecting people struggling with substance use to available resources. Doing both can create safer communities and improve public trust.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how the town\/county functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would improve coordination and consistency across Hancock County\u2019s government and public safety agencies. Better communication, shared resources and stronger collaboration can reduce duplication, improve efficiency and help agencies respond more effectively to the needs of residents and communities throughout the county.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Do you support more development \u2013 i.e. more housing construction and business building in your town\/county? Why or why not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Yes. I support responsible development, including housing and business growth. Hancock County is a great place to live, work and raise a family, but housing availability can strain businesses that depend on seasonal workers. Thoughtful development can help provide housing, support local employers and strengthen communities while preserving what makes Hancock County great.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13225,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Dakota","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Daniel","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Dupuis","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12299,"voter_guide_candidate_age":31,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Lieutenant, Hancock County Sheriff\u2019s Office, overseeing the Patrol and Criminal Investigations Division.","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Four years with Orono Police Department, eight years with Hancock County Sheriff\u2019s Office and two years as a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent. Three years in sheriff\u2019s office administration.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Completed three years of a B.S. in criminal justice, Saint Joseph\u2019s College of Maine, with plans to complete the degree.","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1tDWnE2OwT1_5Lz6hl39JtMofHj4XcqX5","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12303","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12303","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\/12303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12304,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12303\/revisions\/12304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12303"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}