Nominating petitions are
due Sept. 5.
LEWISTON – City voters shouldn’t have to contend with write-in campaigns for City Council and School Committee jobs this November.
At least one person has taken out nomination petitions for every elected seat this year, City Clerk Kathy Montejo said. Only seven potential candidates have completed their nominations, which are due by Sept. 5.
“But at least this year we have someone lining up for every seat,” Montejo said.
Voters had to write in a name to fill the Ward 3 School Committee position two years ago.
Candidates for the mayor’s chair must collect signatures from at least 100 qualified Lewiston voters by the Sept. 5 deadline. Candidates for the City Council and the School Committee must collect signatures from 50 registered voters from their ward.
So far, Lionel Guay of 318 East Ave. and Charles Soule of 170 Bartlett St. have turned in their nomination petitions to replace Mayor Larry Raymond. Two other candidates, Nathan R. McCarron of 35 Fairlawn Ave. and Stavros Mendros of 14 Judkins Ave., are still collecting signatures.
School Committee member John T. Butler of 20 Ware St. has turned in his nomination paperwork to replace Roger Philippon in the council’s Ward 1 council seat. Philippon is not seeking another term. Mendros also has paperwork circulating for the Ward 1 position.
Incumbent city councilors are all circulating petitions for additional terms. Councilors Renee Bernier, Lillian O’Brien, Ron Jean, Mark Mason, Mark Paradis and Norm Rousseau have all signaled their intention to seek another term.
Only Ward 4’s Jean has turned in his nominating petitions. He could be challenged by Robert E. MacDonald of 6 Jolin St., who is currently circulating nomination petitions. Ward 5’s Mason could be challenged by Robert V. Connors, of 23 Charles St. Connors is also circulating nomination petitions.
David A. Vincent of 32 Ware St., so far is the only person to take petitions seeking the Ward 1 School Committee seat. If elected, he would replace Butler.
At-large representative Richard Bernier and Ward 7 representative Paul St. Pierre are looking to swap seats this coming year. Bernier, of 49 Pine St., has submitted his complete petition seeking the Ward 7 position. St. Pierre, of 4 Swale Lane, is still gathering signatures for the at-large position.
School Committee incumbents have all taken out applications to fill all of the remaining seats. They are: Ward 2 representative Laurier Lachance of 29 Fairlawn Ave.; Ward 3 representative Dennis Grafflin of 40 Jefferson Ave.; Ward 4 representative James Handy of 9 Maplewood Road; Ward 5 representative Norm Prevost of 36 Barron Ave.; Ward 6 representative Ronella Paradis of 144 River Road.
Both Lachance and Grafflin have returned their complete nomination papers to the city.
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