OXFORD – Brian N. Hamel, Second District Congressional candidate, will be the featured speaker at the Tuesday, April 13, meeting of the Oxford County Republicans at the Oxford Advent Church, Route 26. A 5:30 p.m. social hour and 6:30 chicken dinner, hosted by the Oxford Town Committee, will be followed by a business meeting where Hamel will speak on his candidacy.

Hamel, president and CEO of the Loring Development Authority, has overseen the development of the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone, since 1994. Due in part to his efforts and that of his team, the former Loring Air Force base has been transformed into an economic engine, bringing employment to northern Maine.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Hamel was honored as the Developer of the Year by the National Association of Installation Developers in Washington, D.C., as the state’s Champion for Economic Growth by the Maine Development Foundation, and as the Citizen of the Year by the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce.

With 24 years of business knowledge and experience and as a CPA at an international accounting firm in Boston, Hamel is also active in his community as chairman of the board of trustees of the Maine Community College System and the Maine Winter Sports Center. He is moderator of the Presque Isle Congregational Church, a member of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s board of visitors and is a corporator at the Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle.

A cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts, he and his wife of 23 years have three daughters. He enjoys spending time with his family, camping, running, golfing, skiing, traveling, playing cribbage and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Nominations for a successor to County Secretary Kathleen Rhoten will be made from the floor and a vote will follow.

Ads for the 2004 Republican State Convention booklet are being solicited. The amount of advertising revenue each county raises determines the placement of its delegation in Augusta on May 14 and 15. Call Becky Kendall at 824-3196 or Stan Howe at 824-2291 with an ad or name listing.

The next county committee meeting will be on May 11 at Wilkins House, Waterford.