With another municipal election on the horizon, the Green Party is seeking to expand its reach in Clinton with new leadership. On Feb. 21, John May was named the new chairman of the party in Clinton.

May will take over from Eric Bergman as head of the party, a move both welcomed.

“It was a combination of things. Eric has done a great job, but he’s on the Town Council and he’s a teacher at the school, so he’s got a lot on his plate,” May said of his decision to step up to the leadership role.

“I thought John would be a better fit. He has a business background, and he’s got fresh ideas and good ideas for how a local third party should run,” Bergman said.

As the party chairman, May said his new duties will include monitoring local issues to brief party members on developments as well as alerting members to openings on boards and commissions in town.

“We’re here to take this seriously and we’re here to collaborate,” said May. “I’m very pleased with how things are going in Clinton.”

May’s name could ring a bell to Clinton residents who recall that in 2020 he unsuccessfully ran for state representative of the 35th District against Democrat Christine Goupil, who won, and Republican John Hall III. May is also a member of the Clinton Economic Development Commission.

While Republicans and Democrats still dominate the political scene both nationally and locally, over the last 18 months the Clinton Green Party has slowly but steadily increased its footprint in town. In the 2019 municipal election, the party ran candidates seeking six different positions in town government, and won two high-profile seats, one of which was Bergman’s bid for a seat on the Town Council. In addition to the elected positions, the party has also had a number of candidates step forward to be appointed to other boards and commissions.

“I think we’re getting people who want to help and who bring an open mind, too,” May said.

May said that, while winning seats in local government is important, another goal is attracting new supporters and influencing change on the local level.

“I’d like to expand the way in which the party has a good reputation locally. We play well with others,” May said in reference to the party’s ability to work with candidates from other parties.

May said the party could also work to educate voters on issues being discussed at the state level and how those issues might affect them. For example, while his election bid did not come close to succeeding, May said that he met people who at least supported his views on issues such as ranked choice voting and preparing kids for jobs in the manufacturing sector.

May said the party can be a success in the future by working with elected officials to push them to support ideas shared widely among the electorate.

According to numbers from the Registrars of Voters, there are only 23 members registered to the Green Party in Clinton, though the party draws support from a larger pool than just the registered members.

“A big part is respecting how people value being an independent,” May added.

Though November seems far away now, one of May’s duties as chair will be helping find candidates who will run in that municipal election as the party seeks to increase its presence in town. That process is underway.

“We’re already looking ahead at what seats will be open and are actively looking at who we would run this coming fall. Part of our appeal I think is we can be a buffer on certain boards and commissions,” May said.