FARMINGTON — A first-term selectman will be the Republican candidate for the newly constituted House District 113, after gaining unanimous support at a local caucus Monday.
Andrew Buckland, 57, a self-employed music teacher and musician, was nominated by Rep. Lance Harvell who resigned after winning the initial party nomination June 10. He will run against Farmington attorney Edward David who won the Democratic nomination for the November election.
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In his nomination, Harvell described Buckland as conservative, smart, pragmatic and “not hard-edged.”
“He has a broad breadth of knowledge of the issues and people in the area,” Harvell said.
Buckland was the only candidate nominated by the 40 New Sharon and Farmington Republicans who gathered Monday night at the Farmington Community Center. He will face Democrat Edward David, an attorney, in the November election.
He told the group that he would describe himself as a fiscal conservative and would like to promote at the State House the same financial responsibility he practices in his family life.
“We’re very familiar with living within our means,” he said. “That’s what I want to do in Augusta.”
Buckland is a 1991 graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington, and his nomination was seconded by his former geology professor, Tom Eastler.
“Is he conservative? Yes, he’s conservative. And he’s a bright one,” Eastler said.
Buckland used to teach music in the Mt. Blue School District, and now primarily works as a musician and is the owner of a small instrument rental company that rents to area schools.
While at UMF he studied chemistry and geology, and previously worked for both Northeast Labs in Winslow and the Department of Environmental Protection.
Farmington Selectman Stephan Bunker asked Buckland how he plans to balance his time on the Farmington selectboard with running for office and potentially the added duties of state representative. Buckland said because he is self employed, he has the flexibility to take on fewer hours and focus on his campaign.
Harvell, who served three terms in the Legislature, said after his June 10 nomination that he was resigning to spend more time with his family.
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252
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