Grady Burns, Belinda Gerry, Robert Mennealy, Robert Sevigny and David Young are running for Auburn City Council at-large on Nov. 3, 2015. Learn about more candidates and issues in our Election 2015 guide.
Name:
Grady R. Burns
Email address:
g.robert.burns@gmail.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Grady-Burns-for-Auburn-City-Council-824620557634088
Other social media?
Twitter: @GradyBurns
Occupation or primary source of income:
Legal assistant at Paradie, Sherman, Walker & Worden
Education:
University of Maine at Farmington, Class of 2013. BA history and BS secondary education; Edward Little High School, Class of 2009.
Public offices sought or held:
This is my first time running for office.
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
As a fourth-generation Auburn resident I have witnessed first-hand the struggles that Auburn has faced these past decades.
As a young professional working to build a career and a family in this community, I know very well how difficult it continues to be for my peers to stay here and prosper. I am running for City Council because I believe that Auburn needs a strong voice advocating for a long-term vision needed to continue to broaden our tax base and grow our community.
In the last census, Auburn was the only city in Maine’s top five that was actually losing population; we need councilors who will work innovatively to change that trend.
What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?
I think it is clear that property taxpayers are struggling to stay afloat in a time of rising prices and economic uncertainty, but I do not believe that better outcomes from our budget are necessarily tied to higher spending.
Auburn must meet its basic commitments to its citizens: the roads must be paved, the water must flow through our pipes, our children must be educated, and our residents must be kept secure by a well-maintained police force and fire department. However, given that our city is currently spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in heating, fuel and energy costs to maintain its operations, I believe that long-term savings can be found to cut the overhead cost of services without cutting staff or raising taxes.
Ultimately, if Auburn wants to broaden its tax base and become a truly thriving community, it must focus on long-term investment and create growth opportunities. Incentivizing growth in our downtown, diversifying our housing stock to attract young professionals, creating a competitive advantage by investing in infrastructure such as broadband Internet or passenger rail — or finally solving the seemingly intractable problem of building a high school that belongs in the 21st century — would take us in the right direction.
The key is finding creative ways to cut costs and leveraging those funds to find the best and least expensive ways to grow. Simply following the current status quo of incrementally raising taxes each year without finding real solutions to our problems is not working.
With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?
Simply put, Auburn is facing multiple crises in its basic services. Living off of Lake Street, the worn struts in my car are a testament to the unacceptably poor condition of major roads such as Lake Street, Park Street and Hotel Road.
Likewise, our middle and especially high school are in desperate need of major repair or replacement. Big ticket problems such as these, however, will not be solved without a collaboration between local, state and even federal government.
First and foremost, we need councilors who will effectively advocate for our needs to a state government that has continually left our community behind in terms of development dollars and overall priority to increase our access to capital for these major issues.
Second, we need to set priority between our short-, medium- and long-term needs. Auburn has some of the best teachers, police officers and firefighters in the state and we must continue to treat them with the respect that they deserve, or we will lose our competitive advantage within the region.
Once we have met our commitments to our workers and addressed the most serious cracks in our infrastructure, we must assess how to promote growth and bring down long-term costs.
Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?
While increasing the walkability and growth of our downtown will be one of my highest priorities, I have serious reservations about narrowing that corridor on Court Street.
While the data has been mixed as to how much the project might slow traffic, as a current commuter on that route, I know how choked up traffic already gets in the area and how impractical finding an alternate route into downtown Lewiston can be.
Ultimately, downtown will grow because people see it as a destination. Our first priority must be attracting those small businesses and developers that will grow the area, not alienating residents and clogging up traffic.
What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?
Finding opportunities for state and federal grants for community development should be our highest priority. It is the current lack of those types of partnerships in Auburn that are holding back our long-term growth.
TIFs can also be a powerful tool to attract targeted growth to struggling communities, and are one of our best tools for attracting the developers and small business owners that we need for our community to grow. This must be balanced, though, with the loss of tax revenue incurred through their use. I believe that the best solution would be one that integrated these local, state and federal opportunities.
Name:
Belinda Gerry
Email address:
PoliticsME@aol.com
Facebook:
None active at present. I prefer meeting Auburn residents when I am out and about and talking with them in person about issues they think are important and what the City Council is working currently on as well as the emails I receive, phone calls I get and messages left on my answering machine.
Occupation or primary source of income:
Currently, I am an Auburn city councilor as well as a notary public.
Education:
Educated in Auburn public schools, dropped out of school in ninth grade to help support my family, then took night school classes, studied and received my GED (high school equivalency diploma) when I was 18. Through the years I have also taken a couple non-credit courses.
Family information:
I came from a single parent family of three. At 18 I married a man who was a quadriplegic; then we divorced about 17 years later. My brother had five children and, because I was an active part of their lives, this partially filled the void of my not being able to have children. I went to all of their school and sports functions when possible.
Now my constant companion is Pep E, a beagle and hound mix I got from the shelter.
Public offices sought or held:
After volunteering for several political campaigns I ran in 1994 and was privileged to be elected as one of Auburn’s three Maine state representatives. Auburn voters then re-elected me to serve them in 1996 and 1998.
In 2000, I ran for the Auburn City Council for the Ward 5 seat and was privileged to serve Auburn residents for three terms — 2000, 2004 to 2006. I took a break and returned to run for an at-large council seat in 2009 and was privileged to get elected to serve Auburn 2009 to present.
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
Auburn is a great place. My roots from birth are here and I have never lived anywhere else, nor do I ever want to.
I am running for office because I want to continue making a difference in the quality of life of all Auburn residents by being their at-large city councilor, to be part of the team of Auburn city councilors/mayor that will continue what was set in to motion by the current council to bring forward the vision that has been developed through public input and participation for the revitalization of Auburn.
Plans include upgrading our tired housing stock and the wanted walkability of our neighborhoods through helping property owners to find the funding resources to transition their homes into apartments that will fit the needs of all Auburn residents: families, seniors, empty-nesters and young professionals who are just starting out or still in college.
I also want to encourage and help our downtown property owners who have vacant space at street level and un-rented office space upstairs to transform it in to shops or type of stores with possible studio apartments for some of the young professionals and single adults who want to live and work in the downtown.
I feel that this will help with our goal to attract more people to that area as well, help existing businesses flourish and grow our tax base.
Second, I want to see the needs of our current businesses and mom and pop stores put first as they exist, grow and get access to the same options or incentives and beneficial funding we offer those we try to get to relocate here when they can met the same requirements. I feel we owe it to our businesses that have stuck with us through our city’s tough times and not just the good one.
Third, I am running to make sure that Auburn’s taxpayer voices are at least heard and that there is more accountability and thought when we are voting to use/spend your tax dollars and the other monies we get to fund our city’s budget and to provide city services, every proposed project and both new or existing ordinance changes.
Every budget I try to make sure your voice through me is heard by our city manager and as many fellow councilors I can reach. When we pass the city’s budget to not increase our mil rate any more than necessary, and to stick to that 1.8 percent CPI increase or lower.
I realize the struggle some have, whether on a fixed income or a young family just starting out, and a new businesses in today’s economy to make ends meet. And, I know our actions could be the straw that broke the camel’s back and that is always present in my mind.
Why should voters select you for this job? Of the five candidates running, I have the most available time to devote to being of service to my constituents, as well as the knowledge or experience that I have gained to date to be able to assist them when they contact me with the issues they face when they have a concern or questions and need help. Many great ideas that I have given to our city manager to improve our city services and save money have come from my interaction with Auburn residents.
Some of the issues that are of a citywide concern that I need to try to get in front of the City Council for us to address and resolve have come from them, as well as others I have found through my time of service of serving Auburn residents.
I have built a strong reputation for fulfilling all my obligations, never missing a council meeting/workshop, coming to Auburn Hall early and staying until my meetings were completely over, only missing a handful of various city committee assignment meetings through the years, of being respectful, dependable, consistent, of being well prepared, for keeping my word and doing what I feel is right based on information I am given, through research I have done and by resident phone calls and their emails.
My brother says the one problem I have is that I care too much and have great passion for what I do.
What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?
What I liked about the city budget was the budget process that Howard, our city manager, put before us.
He really worked with our city’s departments to get them to come in front of us with no-frills funding requests for their individual budgets. Our city employees worked very hard to accomplish this and should be commended for what they presented us. We were told that most departments found a few better ways to make their departments run more efficiently while providing the services our Auburn residents require and expect.
When it came to our bonding for the various department/school department requests, our city manager kept bonding in check there as well. Nothing was allowed that should be in the departments’ operational budgets, and the goal was that whatever was bonded for had a useful life of at least 10 years or more. It was capped at a level below the debt amount allowed in previous years, putting us in a better place to retire more debt.
The long-range plan of our city manager will also help position ourselves for when, or if, the need comes to take on more debt when an emergency happens or possible extra funding is needed for a new high school if the state refuses to pay the total cost. The city side came in under the 1.8 percent, and that included the additional portion of the not-planned expense of the SROs when the school department chose not to fund its portion, and it also being a bit over the 1.8 percent. (I support SROs and the work they do. and their importance.)
The part of the budget process I didn’t like was this last minute switch of the school’s SRO s portion that they were to pay on to our side, and we had to find a way to cover this as well as to make up their not staying within the budget cap. The biggest disappointment for me was that, with all the budget tightening, we still had to raise the mil rate. Any time we raise the mil rate I am not happy with our budget spending.
With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?
Public works/road repair. This would be my top priority today in the city’s current budget.
If I was the head of public works I would look at the list of roads that are currently on the list for this year and next to be reclaimed and rebuilt, and get as many shovel-ready project specs lined up in the pipeline as possible. Then I would have my assistant or grant-finder start filling out as many new grant request applications that we can find out there for both state and federal funds, when available, to add to what was hopefully already requested and granted to take as much advantage of the falling oil and gas prices as possible. If projects are shovel-ready we may be able jump ahead of other applicants’ requests or get a grant because of another’s default because they were not ready.
Why? I chose this as my top priority because when times are tough and the price of oil is expensive, the price to do our roads – materials and stuff — outpaces the city’s budget, so we get less roads fixed for higher costs. When money starts getting short we start switching road projects to accommodate the dollars we have and not do our roads that are in need of repair the most. Sometimes a project is put on hold or done in phases. Stock prices of oil and gas are down from where they were a year ago and I feel we must take as much advantage of this as possible.
Pavement (asphalt) is a petroleum-based product, so as the prices of fuel and oil fluctuate this can potentially affect the cost of pavement materials. Historically the trend was when the oil prices went down the cost of these products did too, or if it went up our prices did as well. The prices we see now may not be available next year, so it would be prudent to do what we can now to catch up a little bit on what we have not been able to do and put off.
We also need to put out there requests for proposals to get available contractors to do these projects. The more we can bundle together, the possibility of getting a better price to complete our road projects.
Education is a very important priority too, but I think we — the council and school committee — can meet our funding challenges once we start working our budget and start knowing what we are going to get from the state. The school department should be OK the rest of this budget year and have some money from this round of state funding, and their fund balance, to start their next year’s budget process.
I know that they have, as always, budget drivers and some increased funding may be necessary to cover them to meet the EPS requirements in the next budget, which is very important in order to give our students the type of education that will help them succeed after high school and potentially college, and to earn a degree in whatever field peaks their interest.
Public safety to me means police and fire and is another key priority, but I think they are all set until our next city budget. I think that they are pretty much self-monitored; by this I mean they watch their budgets closely if they — Police Chief Crowell and Fire Chief Roma — start to go over budget in one line item or another. They consistently revamp their budgets and bring this to the attention of the city manager and he to us.
They should be good until we start working on their next budget. There should be some saving on fuel due to the falling market prices for both police and fire and our use of ambulances instead of firetrucks for emergency responses.
Monies saved through their various line items not spent go back into our General Fund and could be used toward our next city budget. If there is any indication about November that their individual department’s budget for the city’s remaining fiscal year will be even a little off, or there is any likelihood that the next budget year our revenues are going to fall below what they need, they will start now to prepare for what they have to have to ensure the safety of the public/Auburn residents.
Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?
I can honestly say I don’t know if this is a good idea or not without at least trying it.
I would rather try this with paint now instead of later some council just shelling out money to really dig up the road and do it. If this is deemed a bad idea, it can’t be as bad as being a car driven down Lisbon Street acting sort of like a pinball made to drive on this side then that side and back again.
I do feel that something, whether it is this proposal or not, traffic flow needs to be more consistent and encouraged to at least obey the speed limit and not allow cars to use Court Street as a raceway. Something also needs to be done to correct the cars stacking up at the light in front of Auburn Hall that want to turn on to Mechanic’s Row.
Cars on Turner Street need to take a few seconds to wait until they can safely turn onto Court Street without them, too, blocking the intersection. Traffic backs up into Lewiston now throughout the day and is bottlenecked worse than what people think could possibly happen with the trial proposal. Our pedestrians also have rights that are being infringed on.
According to state law they have the right to cross streets at city intersections. Even when they have the walk light, drivers still don’t want to yield to them.
Background information: The narrowing of Court Street and the putting in perhaps a center turning lane, a bike path and parking at least on the Engine House, came about from that “Build Maine” conference that was held in May of 2015 (and I think also from the Bike Ped Committee as well as part of the Complete Streets new policy) as part of their tactical urbanism demonstration project.
It was to be set up and put in place for a short time period, but the project couldn’t have been put in place in time for the conference. The council then thought or suggested it could be done at another time, for at least three months, for just pretty much the cost of paint. To date I have received two emails and two phone messages against this, read a couple of news stories on this and have seen one letter to the editor, and five people in person have said that this was a dumb idea.
What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?
Tax incentives sometimes help balance the playing field between the new businesses that want to come to Maine to relocate or start their new business fresh, and the cities or towns that they are courting and trying to make the best choice.
It is also a way to see or gauge the public support in that community by what is put on the table. And also how really willing the business is to make concessions to make the deal work.
Depending on the size of the business, and type of state and federal grants that could help the business with their early cash flow and financing of their build, and also for bringing in the equipment necessary to operate their business. These grants also help, sometimes, to train workers not totally trained to meet the needs of the business, and also help people who are willing to learn a new trade get the education and on-the-job experience.
I am usually in favor of most of the TIFs (Tax Increment Finance) deals that have come in front of the council when I have felt, based on the information presented, that they were done right and would be of a benefit to the city and Auburn taxpayers.
Auburn has two types of TIF agreements; one for infrastructure and the other is a Credit Enhancement Agreement (CEA). Both have certain requirements and conditions or restrictions that have to be met, like for job creation for one.
Auburn has set up TIFs in areas that they want to attract new businesses or have businesses relocate. The more businesses that come to Auburn, the better our tax base and the more jobs we have to keep our young people and those with families here and eventually lessen the burden on our taxpayers. I feel that our city should offer them as long as these prospective businesses meet all the requirements, conditions and restrictions and the city, too, has done its “homework,” and if it is in the best interest of Auburn residents.
Name:
Robert C. Mennealy
Email address:
gimpski00@aol.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bmennealy
Occupation or primary source of income:
Retired
Education:
BS in education UMO, 1971: MPA at UMO, 1975-ish
Family information:
I am married to a hard-working wife and have two adult children.
Public offices sought or held:
Former three-term Auburn city councilor, and Auburn Sewer District trustee..
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
I have always been interested/involved in government, serving as an intern to Sen. Muskie’s Senate Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations in 1970, attending the first Earth Day, and am a former three-term Auburn city councilor.
What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?
I think the budget passed last year was a good one.
With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?
I think education, road repair, public safety are all equally deserving, though a new high school is a big priority.
Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?
No, I do not think that is a good idea.
What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?
I think each case must be reviewed carefully, but broadening our tax base is very important to keep our tax rate affordable to all of our citizens.
Name:
David C. Young
Email address:
davidcolbyyoung@aol.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AuburnCityCouncilorYoung
Other social media?
Most of my other social media accounts relate to either running or history. See Androscoggin Historical Society, on Facebook, the Androscoggin Historical Society and www.mainerunningphotos.com if you want to see another view of David Colby Young
Occupation or primary source of income:
Machine operator
Education:
BS education from UMF
Family information:
Wife: Elizabeth Keene Young, ELHS Class of 1973. Daughters: Amy Young of Auburn ELHS Class of 2000, and and Caroline Young Coffin of Auburn ELHS Class of 2000, and a son-in-law, Dana Coffin of Auburn, who attended Oxford Hills High School. My wife and I have two granddaughters and one grandson.
Public offices sought or held:
Auburn School Committee 1979-1985, Ward 4; Auburn School Committee 2009-2013, mayoral appointments by Mayors Gleason and LaBonte; Ward 4 city councilor, January 2009-December 2013; city councilor at-large, December 2013- present.
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
If you need a person who can keep his cool, is willing to hear both sides of an issue, take ideas and get them into action please send me back to finish the work we started. I would like to also be part of additional projects advancing the city for the better.
What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?
Great! We had Spring Clean-up back in the budget. It is not to say it will be held every year, but it is a service that many voters support. We have been trying to drop down our debt limit the past few years. The Auburn City Council, in its planning, knows that future city councils will have needs for bonding, perhaps for a future new high school? Raising someone’s taxes for 30 years is not the road we want to go down.
With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?
Past city councilors saved money in the short-run, and now we will have to pay more to get our roads back in order. We are behind on many of our road projects, but I feel that we are going in a better direction now. Yes, this is a problem. We do have a plan.
Education and roads are important, but it is not right to compare them to public safety (fire and police) because education and some roads have other pools of money. We have taken over the ambulance service from United. We will have to wait to see it this will be an improvement to our cash flow
Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?
This is not a good idea. I understand some of the thinking on this, but it is not the direction that will turn Court Street into a shopping district. Please, if you disagree with me, call so we can talk.
What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?
TIFs are a great tool, but I like the ones with short terms and do not think they should be used when they are not needed.
Name:
Robert A. Sevigny
Email address:
rsevigny@roadrunner.com
Occupation or primary source of income:
Emergency vehicle mechanic
Education:
High school grad and a veteran.
Family information:
Daughter and two grandsons.
Public offices sought or held:
Running for Auburn City Council at-large
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
I am running because I feel that there is nobody on the council that is looking out for the property owners of this city. I can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines while, year after year, property taxes continue to rise while valuations continue to decline. I am also very frustrated with the amount of the people’s business that is being conducted behind closed doors in executive session.
What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?
The budget was hard to follow this year with the constant funding, de-funding, and re-funding. It was like watching the carnival three-shell game. Keep your eyes on the pea. Where is the pea?
I think some things were funded high, while other things were funded low. I would not be surprised if some city departments come looking for more money in February.
With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?
All three are equally important. The roads and sidewalks are atrocious, our schools are in a state of disrepair, and public safety needs a little attention. It is going to take some serious people with common sense to straighten out the ship and get it back on course.
Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?
I think it is a bad idea to choke Court Street down to two lanes. It will create backups on both sides of the bridge, raise tempers, and create road rage. I suspect the accident count may also rise. As someone who drives a lot, I always thought that it was a good idea to keep traffic flowing smoothly.
What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?
In communities that use tax increment financing as freely as Auburn does, property taxes are at least 10 percent higher than they need to be. When the city returns 75 percent to 100 percent of taxes back to developers, the added burden of the project is then shifted to existing property owners.
Our schools greatly suffer from TIFs. All new development should be taxed at the same rate as everyone else, with that new income being used to maintain our infrastructure and to lower the tax burden on existing property owners. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get our tax bills and actually see a decrease?
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