Throughout the 2016 Presidential primaries, Phish drummer Jon Fishman was extremely vocal in his support for Democratic party hopeful Bernie Sanders, traveling around the country speaking at rallies and performing at political benefits, including Live For Live Music‘s “Get Out And Vote For Bernie” fundraiser show featuring Kung Fu, Oteil Burbridge, and more. He even commissioned a custom-made, Bernie Sanders-inspired version of his ubiquitous red and blue dress which he wore throughout Phish’s 2016 summer tour.
While Sanders may not have won the Democratic nomination, he left his supporters with a call to action: “We need new blood in the political process, and you are that new blood. It means that, at every level, we continue the fight to make our society a nation of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.”
Not one to let his fervent beliefs fall by the wayside, the 52-year-old drummer (who was Sanders’ Vermont constituent for many years) decided to answer Sanders’ call by filing as a candidate for the Lincolnville Board of Selectmen in Lincolnville, Maine.
Yesterday, Jonathan Fishman and Josh Gerritsen were elected to two three-year seats on the Lincolnville Board of Selectmen. Winning with 356 votes, Fishman is also opening a Lincolnville General Store. The first orders of action were to create a new fund for wastewater treatment and to make changes to harbor ordinances. Voters approved both these changes.
Voters approved raising $25,000 for a new Wastewater Capital Reserve Account by a vote of 414 to 132, and are authorizing the Board of Selectmen authority over “annual plans for usage of the town’s fish pier and floats, and for repair, maintenance and improvements to the fish pier, floats, boat launch ramp and other facilities; giving the town administrator supervisory authority over the harbormaster and deputy harbormaster in regard to repair, maintenance and improvement of town-owned facilities in the harbor, and decision-making over their mooring site applications and locations; and hiring a qualified inspector to inspect moorings annually.” The full text of the amendments are available at the Town Office.
More information about what the new Lincolnville selectmen are up to can be found here.
[via Village Soup]