LEWISTON – When Mayor Lionel Guay told other city officials last Wednesday that he was stepping down, they asked him to wait a few days before making it public.

“We wanted him to have the holiday weekend to kind of think it over,” City Administrator Jim Bennett said Monday.

He and others didn’t want the Guay family’s Thanksgiving weekend to be ruined by publicity and media attention. They wanted him to think about it a bit more, too.

But for Guay, the decision was never in question.

“Lionel has a fierce desire to do what he has to do to complete his job,” Bennett said. “This past year, I’ve seen him in turmoil between that and wanting to protect his family.”

Guay cited stress Monday when he officially announced his resignation, which is effective Friday.

“The mayor’s job is just a formality, really,” Guay said. “It’s not more important than my family, or the health of my family. That has to come first.”

The past year – with Guay being acquitted of sexual touching charges – has been difficult for him and his family.

Guay was found not guilty in September of fondling a teenage receptionist at his Lewiston accounting firm. Despite winning the trial, Guay said it damaged him personally, and hurt his family.

“We’ve talked to doctors, we’ve been prescribed medication and now we need to go off and get better,” he said. “My wife and I are taking it all day by day.”

Moving on

Bennett and City Council President Renee Bernier officially announced Guay’s resignation at an afternoon news conference and thanked him for his service.

“I will greatly miss the mayor’s leadership, insight and vision for the community,” Bernier said, reading from a prepared statement. “He has been a committed public servant to the city of Lewiston and we on the council will miss him as a colleague and a friend.”

The resignation should not slow down the city, they said. Bernier will replace Guay in all ways until a special election can be held early next year to elect a new mayor. Bernier will lead council meetings and name ad hoc committees. Councilors are mulling names for two new committees, a downtown housing group and a new Lewiston-Auburn cooperation commission.

The charter requires a special election to fill Guay’s vacant seat.

The city could schedule the election as early as the last week of January, said City Clerk Kathy Montejo. It could be combined with a special election on replacing Pettingill School.

Two candidates have already announced their plans to run for Lewiston mayor in 2007: former Police Chief Larry Gilbert and Lewiston City Councilor Normand Rousseau.

Both said Monday they would seek to replace Guay when he resigns. Five-time mayoral candidate Charles Soule said he also would run in the special election.

The winner of the special election would still be eligible to serve two complete terms, in addition to completing Guay’s second term, scheduled to end in January 2008. The City Charter limits mayoral terms to two.

Guay enjoyed his time as mayor, he said Monday.

“I don’t regret being mayor, just everything else that has happened over the last year and a half,” he said.

He is still on the board of directors for the Franco-American Heritage Center and will continue for now.