AUBURN — Promising a fun political campaign, School Committee member Peter Letourneau Sr. announced Monday his bid to unseat Jonathan LaBonte as Auburn mayor.
“If you are expecting a long, boring presentation, you’re going to get a short, boring presentation,” Letourneau, 67, told a group of about 15 well-wishers upstairs at 84 Court Pizza. “We’re going to have some fun. I’ll take the job seriously, but I won’t take myself seriously.”
Letourneau was among the first candidates Monday to walk out of Auburn Hall with nominating petitions signaling an intent to run for office.
“I’m running for mayor because I’m a very good listener, and I think it’s a skill that’s in very short supply these days,” he said. “Our future beckons and the decisions we make over the next two years will determine whether we will grow or go backward.”
All 15 seats — including the mayor, seven city councilors and seven School Committee members — are up for election Nov. 3.
Letourneau is a retired vice president at Geiger, a U.S. Army veteran and has lived in Auburn since 1969. He is head of the Tri-County Mental Health Audit Committee.
LaBonte was also among the first to collect nomination petitions Monday. He confirmed he will seek a third term as mayor. He said he plans a formal launch later this summer.
“There will be more to come later this month, but the process officially starts today, so I wanted to be there first thing and take care of getting on the ballot,” LaBonte said. “Then we can talk about the campaign.”
LaBonte was first elected to the job in the 2011 ballot. He works for Gov. Paul LePage as the director of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management. LaBonte said he’s not ready to move into state government full time, however.
“We are not done with our work here in Auburn yet,” LaBonte said.
LaBonte said his third term goals revolve around improving Auburn’s economy and improving the downtown.
“We are one of the leaders in the state of children going to bed hungry, growing up in poverty and having a stagnant and declining real estate base,” he said. “There are things that need to be done to turn the economy of this community around, and do it in a way that is fiscally responsible.”
It’s the first time LaBonte has had an opponent in any election. He ran unopposed for both terms as mayor and his terms as L-A’s representative to the Androscoggin County Commission.
Candidates have until Aug. 20 to collect enough signatures to secure a spot on the ballot.
Beyond the two mayoral candidates, three others began passing their nomination papers. They include Bob Stone for Ward 2 City Council, incumbent Leroy Walker for Ward 5 City Council and School Committee member Bonnie Hayes for her Ward 2 seat.
School committee candidate Hayes and her husband, City Councilor Bob Hayes, attended Letourneau’s conference Monday, as did Ward 1 Councilor Tizz Crowley. Crowley said she will not be seeking another term and is looking for Ward 1 candidates to replace her.
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