AUBURN – There were days when Normand Guay wanted to leave the mayor’s office.

His first term was marked by so much controversy – over city leadership and over him, personally – that it sometimes seemed wiser to leave it for someone else.

He couldn’t leave, though.

“If I didn’t run again, what would that say to the community?” Guay said.

There was more work to accomplish; there were more projects to see through. He asked his wife, Debora Belanger.

“I don’t think she was real happy about the idea,” Guay said. “But she told me, If you want to run, run.'”

Guay is still the mayor. On Tuesday, he won 10,420 votes. Without an opponent on the November ballot, he eased into a second term in the job that he says he is still “very proud” to fill.

“You’re the ambassador for the city, one of the very best in the state,” Guay said. From that vantage, he hopes to help Auburn.

Moving on

In his second term as mayor, Guay hopes to expand the city’s relationship with Lewiston. He and that city’s mayor – his brother, Lionel Guay – plan to gather people from both cities to examine ways they might team up.

“We can’t be afraid to look at it,” Normand Guay said.

The tax burden is too high for anything to be excluded, he said. If savings and superior service can be found by cooperating, then the leaders of both cities have a responsibility to consider any suggestion.

“Nothing is sacred,” Guay said. “There is no ego, no politics.”

It’s the kind of work Guay would rather be known for, rather than the attention given to the city’s union disputes with firefighters and police officers or his own arrest last year on a charge of operating under the influence. The charge was dropped after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

“It’s over. It’s done with,” said Guay. “I think it’s behind us.”

However, it’s been a “very difficult” period, he said.

The August 2003 arrest occurred while the city was undergoing contract talks with police. An investigation ensued, resulting in the discipline of officers.

The police union signed a contract with the city earlier this year, but there is still no agreement with firefighters.

Quality of life

Meanwhile, residents have seen increasing pressure on property-tax revenue. This year’s budget negotiations were some of the toughest in years. And the $8.7 million redevelopment of Auburn Hall – to house the city and school department’s new offices – has drawn widespread criticism.

The downtown redevelopment is largely misunderstood, said Guay.

At a time when money is tight, the city is bound to take some criticism, the mayor said. But projects such as Auburn Hall, which the city will pay for over 20 years, and an adjacent parking garage are needed to breathe life into the downtown, he said.

The alternative is to give up and do nothing, he said.

“It’s about creating jobs and expanding the tax base,” Guay said. “We’re trying to improve the quality of life for people in Auburn.”

More jobs mean better pay and, for those young people who want it, the chance to spend their adult lives here, he said.

A native of Lewiston, Guay has worked in Auburn for more than a quarter-century. He spent almost 11 years as an Auburn police officer. For the past 16 years, he has worked for the state as a probation officer.

He has lived here since 1981 and pays the taxes he helps determine.

“People have a right to be upset by high taxes,” he said. Yet, solutions such as the defeated tax-cap referendum could only have worsened the problem, he said.

True solutions come from bringing in new businesses and finding ways to cut costs, he said.

Guay, 59, plans to use his position to help the initiative with his brother succeed.

Perhaps the two mayors can use some of their own close relationship to encourage better teamwork between the cities, he said.

Normand and Lionel, 63, have been learning to work together since they were boys.

“Our mother taught us,” he said. “She’d say, If you compete, you’re both going to lose.'”

BREAKOUT>
First term:
Auburn Mayor Normand Guay had to contend with police and fire union disputes and his own arrest on a charge of operating under the influence. (The charge was dropped after an investigation.)
Next term:
Guay hopes to work with his brother, Lewiston Mayor Lionel Guay, on finding ways the two cities can combine services to save taxpayers money.

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