{"id":2556,"date":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/peter-james-kahn\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T19:54:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:54:59","slug":"peter-james-kahn","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/peter-james-kahn\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter James Kahn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I was a senior partner of a multinational forensic accounting firm, serving on the firm\u2019s executive committee. I know how to build consensus. I know how to get things done.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bachelor of science in business administration<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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July 2020 \u2013 Budget Review Committee – Lost <\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 2021 \u2013 Budget Review Committee \u2013 Won \u2013 Filled a vacancy for an unexpired term ending in June 2023 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget Review Committee \u2013 Won \u2013 3-year term ending June 2026. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1) Limit overdeveloping that has been the norm for the past 10 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Work with adjoining communities to provide cost-effective services and staffing. Eliminate unnecessary duplication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Restore professionalism to the Select Board by answering questions in a timely fashion and encouraging involvement. Hold meetings in the evening when residents are home, not in the morning when they are unable to participate. Also, ensure policy changes are fully vetted in public, not buried in the consent agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I will continue being an independent voice for residents and others who have something to say but feel intimidated \u2013 the silent majority. I will ask the hard questions and demand answers. I will make sure all town meetings are welcoming, not a place to be ridiculed. I will encourage participation on local boards and committees. Input from all should be nurtured, not ignored. We need to remember \u201cAll politics is local.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your community? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ogunquit\u2019s biggest challenge is maintaining its sense of community. When properties come on the market, they are often acquired by investors, not families who care for the town. \u201cCommunity\u201d can only exist when individuals have a vested interest in being involved, not solely to make money. The town is losing its \u201csoul.” Seniors and longtime residents are being forced out due to affordability issues. This trend needs to be stopped and reversed. Affordable rental properties are needed to attract families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how your community functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I will propose changes to the Town Charter, our governing structure, to return power back to the residents, where it belongs. This would include ensuring reserve accounts are used only for their intended purpose, staffing needs are properly demonstrated, and the need for executive sessions is properly explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Do you support more development in your community? Why or why not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ogunquit is only a 4\u00bd-square-mile municipality with an incredibly popular beach, the idyllic Marginal Way, picturesque Perkins Cove and numerous inland trails. Restaurants and lodging establishments flourish. Residents enjoy the relatively quiet offseason. A proper balance needs to be maintained. I will encourage limiting development to preserve the charm of our unique community that residents and visitors cherish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Peter","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"James","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Kahn","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2552,"voter_guide_candidate_age":76,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Retired Certified Public Accountant","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_state":0,"voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":0,"voter_guide_candidate_time_in_area":"10 years full-time","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[818],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-2556","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","hentry","vg_party-unenrolled"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3309,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2556\/revisions\/3309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=2556"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=2556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}