Name: John Jenkins

Age: 55

Address: 34 Ryans Way

Phone number/e-mail address: 333-6601 ext. 1216, [email protected]

Occupation: SAFEPlan instructor and motivational speaker

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Bates College; certificate of completion in city design, Harvard University

Political experience: Auburn mayor, Lewiston mayor; state senator

Community organizations: Lewiston-Auburn Optimist Club, Mason, member of the board of directors of the Maine Community Foundation

Why are you seeking the mayor’s seat?

I’m just getting warmed up. And I’m very honored and touched that people want me to run again.

What is the mayor’s role in Auburn?

Gone are the days when you just showed up and cut ribbons and shook hands and kissed babies and facilitated the council meeting. The mayor is now expected to have some understanding of transportation issues, finance, you name it. The citizens expect full-time results from this part-time position. It requires the mayor to be an excellent communicator, a leader, a visionary.

Last year, councilors adopted a 3 percent spending cap and stayed under it. Is it enough to keep spending from increasing? If not, what should the city do? What would you cut?

Of course, that is the limit. We can also spend a lot less than that, as well. So it really comes to the department heads and working intimately with each department head in the city to make sure that they are watching their spending habits.

Do you favor consolidating services with Lewiston? How far should Auburn go and how quickly?

I’m not in favor of going fast for anything because this is a very big decision. Why would you marry the person next door? It’s convenient, but is it a good fit? That’s a recipe for disaster. This is the public’s money that we’re talking about.

In your mind, what is the biggest issue that councilors, the mayor, or city staffers have not talked about over the last two years? What’s the biggest looming issue that the city is not facing?

We’ve talked about virtually everything under the sun. This council and this mayor, we’ve said, “Let’s pull the covers back and talk about it all.”