Joshua Pinkham is running as an independent for District 3 Lincoln County Commissioner and hopes people will vote for him on Nov. 4, because he wants to make sure the county grows in a smart fashion.
The Damariscotta selectman and local businessman hopes to work closely with planning and development.
“You can’t really fight growth, but you can manage it,” he said. “With the population (growth) come services. We just have to find that happy medium.”
Pinkham said he currently serves on the Damariscotta Board of Selectmen, held the position of Damariscotta Emergency Management Agency Director for six years and has worked on the town’s fire department for 16 years. He is now the Assistant Fire Chief of Damariscotta.
Pinkham said that in his interest in serving the county he spent some time with Sheriff’s Office and Communications Dept. personnel.
“Being on the other end of the issue as a firefighter, it’s nice to see when they answer the call, where it comes in and who is receiving those calls and transferring the information to us,” he said.
He said he has also been actively involved in learning more about county level police affairs. After speaking with Two Bridges Regional Jail Correctional Administrator Mark Westrum and Sheriff Todd Brackett, Pinkham said he is expanding his experience and knowledge of police work at the county level. Pinkham said he has also served on the county budget advisory committee for the past two years.
As a member of this committee and town selectman, Pinkham said it is important to reach middle ground in planning and development. Referring to the past big box store debate in Damariscotta, he said people weren’t expecting big box stores to come to the area.
“I’m big on efficiency,” he said. “I’d like to see us increase in a smart fashion.”
Pinkham is also interested in expanding the county’s recycling program, and would like to see recycling methods continue to grow and increase revenue.
He wants to take on other cost saving methods. He said the Damariscotta Police went from using a V-8 cylinder powered cruiser to a V-6, saving budgeted fuel costs. Pinkham suggests seeking out better fuel prices for county and municipal vehicles.
Another county savings would be streamlining the animal control response system, Pinkham said. He suggests a countywide animal control service to ease the burden of individual town’s ACOs.
Pinkham grew up in Damariscotta and graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1991. At age 12, he started his own landscaping business. Both parents were teachers, which influenced Pinkham to seek further education by attending Southern Maine Community College for horticulture. He continues with the same landscaping business he started in his youth. Pinkham gives back to area youth as a soccer and basketball coach.
As a selectman, businessman and role model, Pinkham said he is detail oriented. He would like the chance to further test his skills for the greater Lincoln County community.
“I’m giving back to one town,” he said. “I’d like to give back to District 3 and the county.”
