{"id":12459,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/michael-perry\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:34:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:34:05","slug":"michael-perry","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/michael-perry\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Perry"},"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 main goals are to reduce the burden on property taxpayers by planning our budget carefully; improve public safety and community well-being; and make sure that future development is responsible, open and backed by the right infrastructure. Growth should help expand our tax base and meet the needs of our community, but it should not create extra costs for residents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am running because I want everyone in our community to feel heard and to know how and why decisions are made. Earlier this year, I sent out a community survey to learn what matters most to residents. I believe a councilor should listen, ask questions, look at the facts, communicate openly and always be accountable to the people they represent. After many years of public service and community involvement, I want to bring that same approach to the City Council.<\/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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Sanford faces the challenge of staying affordable while still providing the services and infrastructure that people depend on. At the same time, the city has a chance to grow in a careful way. New homes and businesses can help the tax base and bring new opportunities. However, city leaders need to consider long-term costs, infrastructure needs and how changes will affect residents before making big decisions.<\/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 want to make it easier for city government and residents to communicate. Information should be simple to find and understand, and everyone should have real chances to get involved before big decisions are made. If the city clearly explains the costs, benefits, options and final choices, it will be easier for people to see how their city is run and take part in the process.<\/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 more housing and business development in Sanford when it is the right fit for our community. Growth can help expand our tax base, create jobs and meet housing needs. However, new development should match what our infrastructure can handle and follow a clear process that includes real public input. Our goal should be growth that truly benefits the community, not just growth for its own sake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7199,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Michael","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Christopher","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Perry","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12439,"voter_guide_candidate_age":52,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Lieutenant, training and recruitment \u2013 corrections, York County Sheriff\u2019s Office","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Sanford resident since 1993, 25-year corrections professional, Maine Corrections Training Committee member, former National Correctional Employees Union Executive Board member, former vice president and secretary of NCEU Local 109, and longtime community volunteer.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Currently pursuing B.A. in psychology, minor in organizational leadership, Southern New Hampshire University, expected graduation in 2027; graduate, Sanford High School; attended National Jail Leadership Command Academy, National Institute of Corrections Learning and Performance Coach training and Foundational Motivational Interviewing.","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1QQEGFwCDbPKL_pI8ZZNk47pONZqEpNli","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1186],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12459","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-non-partisan"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12459","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":2,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12848,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12459\/revisions\/12848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12459"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}