STANDISH – Republican Lester Ordway, an automotive technology instructor at Central Maine Community College and a member of the Standish Planning Board, has announced that he will challenge state Rep. Michael Shaw, a Democrat and Amtrak Downeaster railroad conductor who is serving his third term in the Maine House, for the new District 23 seat in November.

In an interview, Ordway, a native of Natick, Mass. who moved to Standish in 1988, described himself as a libertarian who voted for Ron Paul in the 2012 presidential election. Ordway was appointed in 2012-2013 to serve on the School Administrative District 6 Board of Directors. District 23, which was known as District 102 prior to redistricting, covers most of Standish.

“I think the people are just sick and tired of all the partisan bickering, and I just want to be a voice of reason,” Ordway said. “You keep sending the same people back, you keep getting the same results – nowhere. You get more bickering.”

Shaw, a native of North Attleboro, Mass., was first elected to the House in 2008 as the District 102 representative. From 2009 to 2012, Shaw served on the transportation committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, and since 2013, he has been the chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

In an interview, Shaw said that he hoped to serve as the District 23 representative next session in order to continue giving voice to working people in Maine.

“I’m just a regular working guy, and I think we need more regular working folks up in Augusta,” Shaw said. “That’s basically what it boils down to. We have a lot of lawyers, things like that. The regular working person’s perspective is important.”

Ordway said that if elected, he would work to attract business investment to Maine in order to create new jobs and prevent an exodus of young people from the state. He also said that another top priority would be to decrease energy prices by building a power line that would connect Maine’s electrical grid to the extensive network of hydroelectric dams located in Quebec.

“With cheaper energy we might be able to attract jobs, or businesses that can create jobs,” Ordway said.

Ordway also criticized Shaw, saying that the Democrat devoted too much time to fisheries and wildlife legislation.

“I’m a big-time sportsman, a hunter, a fisherman,” Ordway said. “But I think Mike puts too much energy into hunting and fishing and not enough energy into things that affect his district.”

“We have to put more effort into other things,” Ordway added.

Shaw disputed Ordway’s characterization of his record.

“It’s not just inland fisheries and wildlife,” he said. “I’ve done access to voting, transportation issues, tax issues.”

Shaw noted his work co-sponsoring a tax reduction bill that set up the Maine Tax Relief Fund, his consistent support for Department of Transportation infrastructure spending, as well as his ongoing efforts – so far unsuccessful, he said – to pass a resolution to the state constitution that would strengthen early voting.

He also said that he unsuccessfully attempted to change the state’s municipal revenue sharing formula, in order to make sure that towns with low tax rates, such as Standish, are not penalized for their thrift.

Shaw said that he is currently working on a bill that would limit the use of executive sessions by all levels of government throughout the state, as well.

“The people of the state can’t count on their government to do the right thing if they’re not doing it in public view,” Shaw said.

Ordway said that he was not a “mainstream Republican,” and that, if elected, he would seek to give voice to all of the citizens of Standish.

“I’m just running so I can serve my community, and I’m running to really represent everybody in Standish, not just Republicans,” he said.

Shaw also stated his commitment to bipartisanship.

“I’m well respected from people on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “Of all the people up there, I think I’m probably one of the most moderate, non-partisan people to go to. Republicans come to me all the time trying to get support and help for their bills, and vice versa.”

Lester OrdwayMichael Shaw