A totally serious policy discussion with the governor.
2021–23Mayor of Waterville
A handfulLocal businesses, because one sounded relaxing
0Interest in corporate oatmeal
What shows up
No polished guru routine. Just useful stuff, weird stuff, and the honest middle where most life actually happens.
01 / MAINE
Small town. Big opinions.
Local stories, public service, and the characters you only meet north of the New Hampshire line.
02 / BUSINESS
Behind the counter
The wins, the messes, and what running real Main Street businesses looks like before the doors open.
03 / WHATEVER
I have thoughts
Whether anybody asked is a completely separate question.
Dispatches
The occasional behind-the-scenes story, unfiltered thought, or rant that was too long for a caption and too short for a town meeting.
DISPATCH 001 WELCOME TO THE BLOG
Apparently I have a real website now.
For years, most of my internet strategy was “post a video and see who gets mad.” It worked surprisingly well. But now there’s an actual website, which means I’m legally required to have a blog. I assume.
This is where I’ll share the stuff behind the stuff: what it’s really like running a handful of local businesses, the ideas that somehow survive the day, some unfiltered thoughts, and maybe a rant when the situation earns one.
Expect honest stories, questionable timing, and very little corporate oatmeal. Welcome in.
Let’s make something people don’t skip.
If your brand can handle a point of view, a little sarcasm, and an audience that knows when they’re being sold to, we should probably talk.
Built with my longtime partner, Desiree. She likes to cook. I like technology. Somehow that became a handful of businesses and very few quiet mornings. The Maine Mayor counts too — it’s got a website and everything.
Apparently ordering three of them does not constitute “inventory.” Until I sort that out, you can email me and claim you were here before the store existed.
I’m Jay, former mayor of Waterville, Maine, and current co-owner of a handful of local businesses. Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson about meetings.
These days, Desiree and I keep Only Pans, You Broke It, Iron Moose Auto Works, and Half Dozen 6 Properties moving — usually at the exact same time. She’s the beauty, I’m the beast, and somehow together we manage a handful of businesses and family life.
Around here you’ll get the honest version of small-town business, public life, family chaos, and whatever else seems worth saying out loud. No committee approval required.
She’s the beauty, I’m the beast. She also has the better ideas, which is inconvenient.
