Vote Steve Tanguay for Searsport selectman. He is uniquely qualified to serve our community.  Steve will represent the small business community, the heart of our town, and assure that everyone has a voice. Steve is committed to youth entrepreneurship programs and believes everyone has skills to contribute to society.  

Steve will use his business experience to manage Searsport’s budget, negotiate contracts and purchases, and consider the big picture.  Steve is a person who gets things done, looks for a better solution, has compassion for others and has a good time doing it!

Most people know that Steve and Astrig Tanguay are the guardians of Searsport Shores Ocean Campground, one of the last private campgrounds on the Maine coast.  Their family business is recognized as one of the best in the Northeast. Steve also worked as a teacher for thirty years and has received numerous awards for his experiential learning approach focused on economics, history and agriculture.   

People may not know that Steve has other unique qualifications. Recognizing we live here, not only for the state’s beauty and slower pace of life, but also for a sense of permanency, values and our wealth of history. He co-created Fiber College of Maine, to build traffic to our town in the off-season and to offer classes that highlight and invigorate Maine’s heritage. Without attention, weaving, quilting, natural dyes and woodcarving could soon be rare skills like making snowshoes or crafting wooden archery bows.  

Steve’s interest in music has brought many musicians to the campground for Wednesday night at the Shores, a free event for the town.  He co-created Strung Together Music Festival to help keep old time music alive in the mid-coast. People play tunes once heard aboard ships, in the local taverns and many barn dances. With the support of local musicians and the library, he started an instrument lending program to give people an opportunity to try a string instrument no longer available in schools. There are now close to 20 instruments available for borrowing.

In the 15 years I’ve known him, Steve has consistently been compassionate, generous, forward thinking and respectful of the past...what more could we look for in a selectman?

Mike Vallier lives in Searsport