SANFORD — Former longtime Democratic legislator and current Sanford City Councilor John Tuttle announced his candidacy for Senate District 33. Unopposed in the June primary, he will go up against Republican incumbent Sen. David Woodsome for the seat in the Nov. 6 contest.

Tuttle said he and Woodsome have been friends for 50 years and will remain so. “I’m not running against Dave, I’m running for the position,” said Tuttle. “ I like it and I miss it. He’s a good guy.”

Senate District 33 includes the city of Sanford and the more rural communities of Cornish, Limerick, Newfield, Parsonsfield, Shapleigh and Waterboro.

In a recent interview, Tuttle said he plans to canvass the district during campaign season, knocking on doors and talking to voters. “I’m planning on hitting 10,000 doors,” said Tuttle, “I’ve done 1,000 already. It usually makes a difference.”

He said jobs and economic development and helping veterans are among the issues he’ll pursue, along with bipartisanship.

“The last four years have been very partisan,” said Tuttle of the last two Legislatures. “When I was chair of the labor committee — one of the most controversial committees at the time — we had 100 unanimous reports. Republicans and Democrats worked together. We have to put partisan politics aside.”

Tuttle served in the Maine Legislature for 28 years before losing the 2014 race to Woodsome.

He was working his regular job as an EMT during the 2014 campaign and suffered a stroke. Now, Tuttle said, he’s retired from his job and he feels good. “You have to do what makes you happy,” said Tuttle.

He said Sanford has always been the hub of economic activity for the area.

“When I graduated from Sanford High School in 1970, I could quit one job and get another in the same day,” said Tuttle. But times have changed and while some parts of the state — like York County — have record low unemployment rates, Tuttle said Sanford needs a major employer that he hopes will come with the high speed broadband project soon to be underway in the city.

He said the Department of Economic and Community Development has to go to every community in Maine and find something unique about each one and maximize that feature for economic development, whether in agriculture, environment, solar power. “Anything — we need to be more creative in doing that,” Tuttle said. “Maine has to do more in solar power, Maine dropped the ball on that. Dave (Woodsome) worked hard on the solar bill but the governor didn’t,” said Tuttle.

Tuttle attended Sanford High School, where he was the state wrestling champion his junior year. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and a master’s degree from the University of Maine. He is a veteran of the Army National Guard, and is a retired emergency medical technician.

Tuttle has one year remaining on the City Council. He said if he is elected he will likely finish the council term, but not seek re-election to the municipal position.

During his 2014 campaign, Tuttle’s political action committee — which he later terminated — was the subject of a story by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. While his spending was not illegal, the story pointed out that Tuttle spent about 55 percent of donations to the PAC on reimbursing himself for travel and car repairs and his family members for bookkeeping.

“I’m very transparent, I reported everything,” said Tuttle at the time. “The Ethics (commission) says there are no problems.”

Tuttle is running as a Clean Elections candidate, as he did in 2014.

“If I am elected, I will put in legislation to say no political action committees if you’re a clean election candidate, even though I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

He said he hope the Legislature goes back in session — to, in his words, “complete their job.”

“I wonder why they just can’t get together and get it done,” Tuttle said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].