Auburn School Committee Senior challenging New Auburn incumbent
AUBURN — A longtime Auburn resident and retired day care provider is challenging Auburn School Committee incumbent Lawrence Pelletier.
Constance J. Mercier of Fourth Street is running against Pelletier for the Ward 5, New Auburn, post.
In the remaining School Committee races, there are no other challengers.
Seeking re-election are at-large members Francois Bussiere and Chairman David Das; Ward 1, Lane Feldman; Ward 2, Bonnie Hayes; and Ward 3, Thomas Kendall.
Ward 4 committee member Jason Pawlina is not running again, saying he wants to devote more time to his wife, their children and his career. "I also think that some turnover will be a positive thing," Pawlina said. "There's only so much that the same group of people can contribute before things go stale."
Susan Gaylord, who served on the board in 2006 and 2007, is running in Pawlina's place.
Mercier said she's challenging Pelletier "because I would like to do something good for the kids."
In 1981 she was involved in getting busing for kids in New Auburn, she said. "I fought for it." Back then St. Louis Catholic School was closing. Students who lived at the bottom of the hill would have had to walk up Broad or South Main street to Sherwood Heights, she said.
"It was too dangerous," she said. "Some places don't have sidewalks. I got a petition and went from house to house." The School Committee reviewed where students had to walk and approved busing, she said.
On issues, Mercier had little to say. She admitted she hasn't paid a lot of attention to hot school topics in Auburn. "I don't get the paper. I watch the news very little," Mercier said.
Asked whether she would be more likely to approve higher spending for education, or hold the line on taxes, Mercier said she'd favor maintaining spending. "We have to use our money wisely."
Mercier is 67, "and I'm proud of my age. I'm retired, but I work full time at Marden's," she said.
She was born in Lewiston, attended schools in Lewiston and Auburn and attended Edward Little High School. She has four children and seven grandchildren.
Pelletier, 62, is finishing his first two-year term, and is seeking re-election "because my job isn't done. There's so much to this I wasn't aware of when went into it. I want to continue the process. Education is extremely important. I want to do whatever I can to help out."
The biggest challenge facing Auburn schools is the budget, "trying to figure out a way to make the budget less of a burden so we can concentrate on educating our students," he said.
Another challenge "is how we can deal with all the social problems the students have, and take that responsibility away from teachers so they can teach and the students can learn," Pelletier said.
As a committee member, Pelletier served on two subcommittees, the Master Plan and Edward Little Building committees. The Building Committee recently recommended a new high school be built next to the existing school.
A native of Lewiston, Pelletier grew up in Auburn and graduated from Edward Little in 1965. He served in the U.S. Air Force before returning to Auburn. He and his wife, Bonnie Pelletier, have two children and several grandchildren.
