LEWISTON – Making a push for shared services with Auburn and small business development, former police Chief Larry Gilbert kicked off a bid Monday for the mayor’s chair.

“We truly are one community and working to serve the residents of the Twin Cities,” Gilbert said. “The sooner we realize this fact and work toward this goal, the sooner success will be achieved.”

Gilbert launched his campaign surrounded by family and a group of 25 supporters toting “Gilbert for Mayor” signs, sheltered from Monday’s misty skies by the Kennedy Park gazebo.

Gilbert cited the Mayor’s Commission on Joint Services as a top reason for running. He served on that committee last year and helped draw up a report identifying key Lewiston and Auburn departments that could be combined.

He also pledged Monday to create a small business advisory group to help encourage economic development.

“I want to work with city staff to create a small business-friendly environment in order to create a balance between small and large businesses, keeping in mind the limited resources of small business,” he said.

Gilbert was the second to announce plans for the Lewiston mayor’s job in 2007. Ward 7 City Councilor Norm Rousseau threw his hat in the ring in October.

Gilbert decided to join the race after consulting friends and neighbors.

“People knew I’d formed an exploratory committee, so they kept coming up to me – after church, at breakfast or out around town – asking me when I was going to make it official,” he said.

The exploratory committee, formed in June, included School Board Chairman Jim Handy, Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Jan Barrett and Rita Dube, executive director of the Franco-American Heritage Center.

The group’s findings suggested he should run, Gilbert said.

Ballot crowding normal

The election for City Council and mayor is still 11 months away. Candidates can’t officially submit their petitions for the job until July, still eight months away.

It’s early to have announced candidates, but having well-known candidates vying for the job is not unusual, said local historian Doug Hodgkin.

He said crowded races with many popular candidates have been common throughout Lewiston’s history.

“Some of them have been self-starters and some had to be recruited, but the normal case is to have more highly credible candidates running,” he said. “It’s more unusual, in Lewiston’s case, to have one major candidate running, virtually unopposed.”

The past three races for mayor have featured heavily favored and popular candidates running against less well-known challengers. Larry Raymond defeated Marc Mason in 2001, and Lionel Guay defeated Nathan McCarron in 2003 and Charles Soule in 2005.

According to the City Charter, the mayor is limited to two two-year terms. Lionel Guay was elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2005. He begins his final year as mayor in January.

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