{"id":2594,"date":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/amy-rachel-strum\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:37:37","slug":"amy-rachel-strum","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/amy-rachel-strum\/","title":{"rendered":"Amy Rachel Strum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am known for my integrity, organizing skills and teamwork. My approach is collaborative, honest, nonjudgmental and fair. I plan to bring all these qualities to my role on the Select Board.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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BSN-Nursing from University of Southern Maine; Bachelor’s in environmental science from Unity College<\/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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Although I have been involved in multiple political campaigns, I have not run for or held political office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To listen to and understand the top priorities of the people I will represent in Bridgton. \nTo represent the people of Bridgton in a fair, inclusive and democratic manner. \nTo advocate for maintaining Bridgton\u2019s small-town characteristics and environmental beauty while embracing controlled growth and development.<\/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 have lived in Bridgton for 14 years and have seen this town transform in ways that are changing its character. From talking with community members, I understand a lot of residents do not feel included in the decisions being made about their town. I feel I can help their voices be heard and when differences of opinions and\/or priorities arise, I have the experience and ability to help negotiate compromise and consensus.<\/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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Bridgton is fortunate to have pristine lakes and acres of open space and woodlands. The people and the town have been responsible stewards of these natural and outdoor recreational resources, but the pressures of commercial and housing development present us with a challenge. How does Bridgton move forward for the future and protect our rural and natural resources and grow at the same time?<\/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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There are many issues and challenges facing Bridgton, such as development, infrastructure, social issues, healthcare, preservation. To address these issues and challenges, good communication is required. Transparent, effective communication must be improved between Town Hall and the people of Bridgton. When communication breaks down, misunderstanding, frustration, and resentment grows, making it hard to work together towards the future we envision for Bridgton.<\/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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Nothing is static, everything changes. Bridgton is no exception. Growth and development will happen here but residents should have the opportunity to direct and control the priorities of Bridgton\u2019s growth and development. As a select board member, I will listen to the people and make decisions based on their priorities for development. We must be cautious and thoughtful with the development opportunities we will face to honor our small-town character.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Amy","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Rachel","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Strum","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2592,"voter_guide_candidate_age":67,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Retired ER RN","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":"14 years","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":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[358],"class_list":["post-2594","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","hentry","vg_party-democratic","vg_residence_municipality-bridgton"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2594","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":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3844,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2594\/revisions\/3844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=2594"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=2594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}