{"id":12365,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/mike-karagiannes\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:48","slug":"mike-karagiannes","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/mike-karagiannes\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Karagiannes"},"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\">First time running for office<\/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\">Our city and state are facing serious challenges. We need leaders who are willing to confront these problems honestly and with common sense. We must address homelessness and substance use with a balanced approach. We need to make sure taxpayers are getting value for every dollar. We need to restore pride and optimism in Augusta. We need to bring people together. Augusta should be a city we can be proud of, where families want to live, businesses want to invest and entrepreneurs want to build.<\/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 the biggest challenge facing your town\/county? The biggest opportunity?<\/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 challenges we face are questions that need to be asked of all the citizens. I don\u2019t pretend to know every challenge our community faces, and I believe the best way to understand those challenges is to listen directly to the people. I will make myself accessible to the citizens of Augusta and create opportunities for open dialogue. My priorities should reflect the priorities of the people I represent. I believe effective leadership starts with listening, understanding, and working together.<\/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\">If you could change one thing about how the town\/county functions, what would it be and why?<\/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 would make local government more transparent, accessible and responsive. By having clear communication about decisions, projects, budgets, and timelines, will provide residents with an easier way to share concerns and get timely responses. Government only functions properly if people are willing to communicate and work together to address these problems. We need to return to an age where we are willing to work for the common good.<\/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\">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<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\">Development is an important part of growing our community \u2014 but that development must be thoughtful and well-planned. Augusta needs more housing and more businesses to remain a vibrant, functional city that provides opportunity for everyone. We should welcome responsible growth while making sure new development fits our community, strengthens our neighborhoods, and supports the infrastructure we all rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7178,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Mike","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Karagiannes","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12363,"voter_guide_candidate_age":62,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"State of Maine DEP soon to be retired (December 1st)","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"I\u2019m active in youth sports and activities because I believe preparing young people for the future is incredibly important","voter_guide_candidate_education":"BS Public Administration University of Maine","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=10RxF8aPoK7TxXhOhf-vf-PwpS_8xJSlE","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12365","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-republican"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12365","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\/12365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12366,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12365\/revisions\/12366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12365"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}