This article is part of our Guide to Harpswell’s 2026 Town Meeting. Click here to read more.
Harpswell Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson is seeking his fifth term, facing off against challenger Ellen Glew for one of three seats on the town’s governing board.
Johnson said he has enjoyed serving on the Select Board for the past 12 years and would like to continue. He said his reelection would mean continuity for voters, with several major projects he helped initiate still in progress.
One example is a plan to replace or renovate the town’s recycling center. Voters already have approved spending $900,000 on the project and are being asked to approve another $300,000 at this year’s Town Meeting. The town plans to ask voters to approve another allocation in 2027 to cover the rest of the project’s estimated $1.5 million to $1.8 million cost.
“If I’m still there (on the board), I’ll probably be spearheading that one also,” Johnson said in an interview.
Johnson is a Bailey Island native whose roots in the community stretch back to the 1700s. He attended grade school in Harpswell and graduated from Brunswick High School in 1973.
A former U.S. Army infantryman and military police officer, Johnson was deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam War and spent much of his service at the former Fort Ord on California’s central coast.
Soon after leaving the Army, he returned to Harpswell and went to work for Malcolm “Laddie” Whidden Jr., a builder, fisherman and longtime selectman. He later founded Kevin Johnson Builders and worked as a self-employed home builder for about 37 years before retiring several years ago. He now lives on Great Island.
Johnson has spent about two-thirds of his time on the board as chair. The chair is chosen by the Select Board after each election and is not directly elected by voters.
Johnson said that if reelected, his priorities would include hiring a permanent harbormaster to replace Paul Plummer, who left in October for a post in Portland. He also hopes to oversee the construction of a $6 million municipal fire and rescue station on Mountain Road, which voters approved in June.
Another priority for Johnson is making further improvements to George J. Mitchell Field. The town-owned park on Harpswell Neck is undergoing a transformation, with the recent demolition of a former naval administration building and ongoing construction of a boat launch.
“I want boat storage down there and (lobster) trap storage,” Johnson said, adding that he is also interested in building a playground. “It’s essentially a dog park now.”
Another major event on the horizon that Johnson hopes to oversee is the planned completion of a townwide property revaluation this summer. “Everybody’s pretty nervous about that,” he said.
The local school district recently announced it is working on a long-range facilities master plan that will include recommendations for renovating or closing older schools, including Harpswell Community School.
Johnson said any proposal to close Harpswell’s only remaining public school will be a nonstarter. “The Community School will never close as long as I’m in office,” he said.
Johnson said his leadership philosophy is to put as much decision-making power as possible in the hands of voters, rather than exercising it himself. He said voters “either love me or hate me” for it.
A recent example he cited is the ongoing debate about a proposal to add an access trail, parking and signage to a state-owned, 18-acre shorefront parcel at Clark Cove on Harpswell Neck. Voters will decide the issue via secret ballot in the March 14 election.
Johnson said he has no idea which way the vote will go. Opponents of the proposal, including several abutting landowners, have repeatedly criticized Johnson and Select Board member Matt Gilley for choosing to place the issue before voters.
Despite voting to put the issue on the ballot, Johnson said he personally opposes the Clark Cove improvement plan and has recommended that residents vote against it.
“I know the neighbors are up in arms over it,” he said. “I get it, you know? It’s in their backyard.”
Johnson prides himself on staying aware of how locals feel about various town issues. He said housing affordability, preserving rural character and protecting limited groundwater resources are major concerns in Harpswell. He hopes voters will let him continue working on solutions.
“If I haven’t screwed anything up in the last 12 years, give me a chance for another three,” he said.
