A Newcastle general contractor and member of a town committee recently formed to review land use regulations is running for selectman as a write-in candidate.
Joel Lind, 33, owns Lind Building & Renovation Inc. He also does custom woodworking.
Lind is originally from Bremen. He attended the old Bremen Grade School and graduated from Nobleboro Central School and Lincoln Academy. He has an associate degree in resource management from Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vt.
Lind has recently become active in town government with his appointment to the committee reviewing Newcastle’s comprehensive plan and land use ordinance.
“I joined to see what it was all about and to make sure all the voices were being represented,” Lind said. He has several friends in his neighborhood who are farmers, “and being a small-business owner, I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.
“I’ve been enjoying being a part of that process,” Lind said. “It’s interesting to see how that works, and then when there was no one running for selectman, I decided to take part in it.”
“I’m impressed with how the town government has been operating and how positive everyone seems to be,” he said. “I know there are always issues, but I’m impressed with how the selectmen have been doing things and I want to learn and be part of the process.”
He will not bring an agenda or any specific goals for change within town government, he said.
Lind lives with his wife, Juliana McClain Lind, and their 13-year-old daughter, Sequoia, a student at Great Salt Bay Community School, in a former schoolhouse in South Newcastle. The family moved to Newcastle from Bremen in 2011.
Away from his day job, Lind works on a small organic garlic farm with Bremen farmer and restaurateur Bennett Collins. He likes to spend time outdoors.
Lind and incumbent Selectman Chris Doherty are the only candidates for two seats on the Newcastle Board of Selectmen. Doherty is running for a second consecutive three-year term. Lind is also seeking a three-year term.
Newcastle residents will elect municipal officers June 9. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the River Road fire station.
To vote for a write-in candidate, voters must write in the name of their choice and check the box next to the name. The vote will not count if voters do not check the box.
