{"id":12335,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/john-w-shannon-iii\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","slug":"john-w-shannon-iii","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/john-w-shannon-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"John W. Shannon III"},"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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1. To create responsible growth that expands housing and economic opportunity while preserving Saco\u2019s character. 2. To build strong infrastructure, transportation, schools, parks and public spaces that serve residents today and into the future. 3. To encourage and energize an accessible, collaborative local government that listens to residents, uses resources responsibly and brings people together to solve problems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As a longtime public servant and community organizer, I bring experience listening to diverse perspectives, building partnerships and finding practical solutions. I want to give Ward 3 a thoughtful, collaborative voice on the council and help make Saco a place where families, businesses and neighborhoods can thrive.<\/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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Saco\u2019s biggest challenge is managing growth while maintaining the character, affordability and quality of life that make our community special. Our biggest opportunity is to plan that growth thoughtfully \u2014 investing in infrastructure, housing, transportation and public spaces while working collaboratively with residents, businesses and regional partners. I believe my voice will help to strengthen Saco rather than diminish what makes it unique.<\/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 bring fresh perspective, energy and a collaborative spirit to the council while making it easier for residents to understand, participate in and provide feedback on city government. Good decisions depend on clear information and meaningful public engagement. The city should communicate openly, explain the reasoning behind decisions and create accessible opportunities for residents to participate before \u2014 not simply after \u2014 major decisions are made.<\/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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I support responsible development, including housing and opportunities for businesses. Saco should grow in a way that responds to housing needs, supports local businesses and strengthens our tax base. I'd prioritize mixed-use developments that combine residences and businesses, along with walkable neighborhoods that connect people to shops, services, parks and public transportation. Development should be thoughtful and supported by infrastructure and planning while protecting Saco\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7177,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"John","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Ward","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Shannon","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"III","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12333,"voter_guide_candidate_age":38,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Youth services supervisor at McArthur Library, Biddeford","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Lifelong resident of the Biddeford\/Saco area and a public servant for over a decade.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Bachelor\u2019s degree, University of Maine","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1JYF6UUxmuTsrZ2GV_tx9Dq2pC2wzVgxT","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12335","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\/12335","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\/12335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12336,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12335\/revisions\/12336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12335"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}