10/08/2026
The City of Gardiner will host a Candidate Forum on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 6:00pm at City Hall. The public is welcome to attend but will not be able to ask questions. The event will be live streamed. This is a forum, not a debate so each candidate will be asked the same questions. They will time at the beginning to speak briefly about themselves, but we asked each of them to give us a short bio to share.
After the forum if a resident has questions for a specific candidate they may contact the City Clerk who will provide them with contact information for that candidate.
The City of Gardiner would like to thank each candidate for their willingness to run and potentially serve their community.
MAYOR- 2 YEAR TERM
Patricia Hart, Mayor
I am seeking re-election as Mayor of the City of Gardiner because I care deeply about this community and its future. I have been proud to serve as Mayor for the past eight years, following seven years as the District 2 City Councilor. As a long-time Gardiner resident, I have also spent more than three decades volunteering with Johnson Hall, Gardiner Main Street, and the Gardiner Rotary Club. Professionally, I hold a master's degree in applied economics and have owned and operated a successful economic consulting firm in Gardiner since 1998. I love this community and feel fortunate to live, work, and raise a family here. I want to continue doing my part to give back.
AT LARGE CITY COUNCIL- 2 YEAR TERM
Jon Ault
I've been a proud resident of Gardiner since 2011. In that time, I've served our community as a three-term City Councilor; member of the Sidewalk, Technology, and New Mills Dam committees; and was a co-founder/Board Chair of both the Kennebec Local Food Initiative and Gardiner Food Coop. I'm currently on the Gardiner Planning Board and serve as Board Secretary of the United Community Living Center in Augusta. My wife and I own a local Gardiner based small business called Honeysuckle Way Flowers, and I work in agriculture as the Research Farm Manager of Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion.
I have strong convictions in community engagement and am proud of my listening skills. I'm running for City Council because believe that I have the right experience, temperament, values, and judgement to well serve our city as it works through the upcoming challenges of property revaluation, potentially anemic federal and state funding formulas, and the crisis of affordability
that many of us are currently experiencing. My values include an expansive definition of the social contract that privileges equal protection, due process, and mutual respect. I took forward to making my case and hope to earn your vote!
Timothy Cusick
Hi, my name is Tim Cusick, and I am running for re-election to the city council. I am finishing up my tenth year on city council and would like to continue to serve the citizens of this great city another two years. I have lived in Gardiner for 28 years seeing a lot of changes within the city over this time, I have always worked to keep taxes down and to keep businesses coming to the city to help our tax base. The council has worked hard over the last several years to sell all the lots at the Libby Hill business park and to keep businesses on main St. We have also just added a 32-unit housing project at the end of summer street to help with the on-going housing issues the city deals with. I also would like to say that as a council we all have worked hard to maintain our city services and the wonderful staff of employees that we have. I have always had the best interest of the city in any of my voting decisions and will always continue to do so if I am elected fortwo more years. If you have questions or would like to talk, please feel free to call me at 207-485-1689.
Marc Allen Robert Cone P. E.
I have lived in Gardiner since 1965 and graduated from Gardiner Area High School and went to the University of Maine where I earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. I have also obtained an MBA from Thomas College. I have been a licensed professional engineer in the state of Maine since 1991.
My work history includes a few years at Statler Tissue and then I have worked the last forty years in the air pollution field. I was at the Maine DEP for 33 years where I rose to the Director of Air Quality. For the last seven years I have worked for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association, Inc. where we
provide air pollution technical training and resources to State and local air pollution regulatory agencies throughout the country. My time served here has been valuable in seeing how energy issues and climate change issues are impacting Gardiner and the rest of the United States. have raised three children in Gardiner and I am very proud to say I am from Gardiner. Additionally, I have also served on the MSAD 11 Board of Directors from 2008 to 2018.
As a lifelong Gardiner resident, I see the city is in a renaissance period with the work of many dedicated citizens. As a city councilor I have been guided by what the city needs in our continued growth while also keeping the local tax increases at a minimum. I want to continue to see this period of change continue
and I believe my experiences have benefitted the city council and wish to continue my public service in that role. Thank you.
Russell Greenleaf-
My name is Russell (Rusty) Greenleaf. I have had the honor and privilege of serving the citizens of Gardiner for the last 5 years. I truly enjoy working for you, the residents, to move the City of Gardiner forward. It can be challenging at times trying to meet the needs of the City and keeping taxes affordable for the residents. I have lived in Gardiner my entire life and believe I have the
insight as to what is needed and wanted in the City. I am involved in many organizations which also allows me to hear and see what the needs of the residents are. The City has made great strides in maintaining the infrastructure, increasing business in the downtown and the business park, increasing salaries for our employees to be competitive and retain our valued people, and
work at looking to the future needs of Gardiner, all while keeping the City side of the tax base almost the same. I look forward to continue working for you and would appreciate your support this November.
Sincerely,
Rusty
MSAD 11 SCHOOL BOARD- THREE YEAR TERM
Rebecca Fles-
Serving on the school board has been one of the greatest honors and pleasures of my adult life. I have loved the opportunity to grow and learn what the Constitution and laws of Maine intend public education to be.
Maine school boards are intentionally nonpartisan and highly regulated to ensure representation of every student. When I first joined the board, I used to say that I did not know the political leanings of any of our members—and that was exactly the intent. Serving on the National School Boards Association, I have the same experience: we are there for every student in public school, not for a political side. I prefer it that way, because it allows us to focus on our responsibility rather than outside groups or competing agendas. We are living in a very different and challenging time, including in public education. As
elected board members, our responsibility is to every student. Our hundreds of policies, many rooted in statute, are designed to support every child and family while respecting parents’ freedom to raise their children according to their own beliefs and values. That freedom is precious to me—and protecting it for
our children is one of the reasons I am seeking reelection. Our school board is at a difficult crossroads. Educating children in reading, science, math, and history is only part of our responsibility. We must also develop policy, create a responsible budget within the state required formula, keep taxpayers in mind, and hire and support a superintendent. It is not as easy as it sounds.
Increasingly, we are being pressured to choose one side over another rather than focus on what is in the best interest of students. My core belief is simple: children are not political, and our job is their education. Parents and families have the precious responsibility of imparting their values to their children.
Our job is to provide a strong education while respecting that responsibility.
We have also lost some—perhaps a lot—of the civility that makes a community strong. I believe we need to bring that back for our students. I would love to see parents volunteering in our schools, participating in their children’s classrooms, and seeing firsthand the faces of the students we serve. I want to continue serving our students and our community. I want to be part of a community committed to the success of every student and to creating an environment where our children can grow into the amazing adults and citizens they strive to become. That is community support: loving what is the same as me and what is different from me. Gardiner is a wonderful, warm, and loving community that rallies around its neighbors in times of tragedy and celebrates when goodness shows up. Please support me with your vote as I continue working for every
child and family in MSAD 11 and for a future we all want to live in.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Zachary Hanley-
My name is Zachary Hanley. I am running for the MSAD I i School Board for Gardiner. I grew up in Pittston. My Wife and both graduated from Gardiner High School. We have also have had the joy of raising a family here in Gardiner. We have had two children graduate from GAMS and have three more children currently enrolled in MSAD I I. I am a volunteer for the City Planning Board, a volunteer coach for several area youth sports teams, and volunteer at Johnson Hail. have also volunteered countless hours for multiple snack shacks both in the schools and Quimby Field. I am also a regular volunteer in my children's classrooms. If elected I hope to make a difference and continue to give to my community. Thank you.
Allyce Pepin-
My name is Allyce Pepin, and I am running for MSADI 1 School Board,
Representing the CityofGardiner. I am a 38 year old Mother of one, who attends
school in MSADI 1 . I am a Graduate of Gardiner, Class of 2006. After High School
I attended the University of Maine, Orono, where I received my Bachelors Degree
in Sociology, while working full time as a CRMA in the Mental Health Field. After
graduating cm laude, I continued the work, but instead, I focused on Children.
The culmination of that work led to my role as Children's Program Director for a
Mental Health agency in Augusta. After the birth of my Son, I was accepted into
the Design Apprenticeship Program at Bath Iron Works, earning two additional
Degrees in Marine Design from Maine Maritime Academy and SMCC. Once I
completed coursework, I was elected to, and served, for 5 years on my Union's
Executive Board. I believe my experience working with Children and their families
in a multitude of settings, including the school system, combined with my
Elected Board experience ,give me valuable insights that Will assist this
School Board in putting Children's needs, which are Human
needs, first. I would appreciate your vote!
Anthony Veit-
My name is Anthony Veit, and I am running for school board in MSAD 11 as a long-time resident of Gardiner. I have 30+ years experience promoting student access to education, and I bring a thoughtful, evidence based approach to decision-making. currently serve on the school board, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to continue to advocate for ail students. My interest in the school board developed after volunteering with the Gardiner Elementary PTA, as well as coaching youth soccer through the Boys and Girls club for 10 years, and
support for other student booster clubs. My wife and I are grateful for the excellent education our children experienced in MSAD 11, and 1 look forward to the opportunity to serve this district in the future.
