Biographical information

Name:

Jonathan LaBonte

Office Sought:

Auburn Mayor

Home Street Address:

41 Third St.

Campaign Phone Number:

207 782-1174

Campaign Email Address:

jlabonte08@gmail.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/jonathanplabonte/

Twitter Account:

MayorLaBonte

YouTube Channel:

Occupation or primary source of income:

Executive Director of the Androscoggin Land Trust

Education:

Graduate of St. Dominic’s Regional High School; B.S. Chemical Engineering – University of Maine at Orono; Graduate Courses in Public Administration – University of Maine at Orono.

Family:

My immediate family still calls Auburn home. My sister and I live in New Auburn and my parents own a home in Auburn. I’m fortunate to have a grandmother living in Auburn as well.

Public offices sought or held?

In 2008, I was elected to serve as an Androscoggin County Commissioner. In 2011, I chose to run for Mayor of Auburn and, when sworn in, left my County post one year before the end of my term.

Civic organizations:

Ice breakers

What is your favorite food?

It’s a long list…but the greek salad at 84 Court and the rib eye burger at Fuel jump to the top of the local list.

What is your favorite movie?

The original “Manchurian Candidate” and “Gladiator” are tied at the top of my list.

What is your favorite book?

I don’t think I have a favorite, but with my love of local history, anything written by Doug Hodgkin would be on my short list.

What is the best political advice you have received?

What Maine political figure do you admire most?

If I had to pick one from recent history, I would say the late Senator Edmund Muskie. When I think of the opportunities that stand before communities like Lewiston-Auburn or Jay and Livermore Falls, to reconnect people to recreation and development along the river, his willingness to break with tradition and community sentiment to advocate for a cleaner Androscoggin River has created a legacy even he might not have imagined. And that story, because of his advocacy in Washington, is now able to play out across post-industrial communities throughout the country.

Local politics

What has Mayor Jonathan LaBonte done during the past two years that you agree with? What has he done that you disagree with?

If I were to assess this, I’d say I still agree with my push to ensure that economic development and transportation policies for Auburn are in line with where the community can aspire to go, and not beholden to outdated and entrenched positions. Whether it is focusing in small business and downtown development or fighting for transportation connections where people live and not out in industrial parks.

I would say that I’ve learned through these first two years that by cutting back on the use of “Open Sessions” for question and answer sessions and debate between the public, elected officials and staff, there was not an alternative set up to allow these discussions to occur. While they don’t necessarily belong in a council business meeting, residents need to have a channel to ask hard questions and be part of discussions and a vehicle for doing that should have been proposed at the same time. I believe the community conversation series is the start of a broader effort to listen to residents and bring all of us into the discussion of where we are going.

What has the city council done during the past two years that you agree with? What have they done that you disagree with?

The Council has taken strong stands on policy issues that have long been discussed and debated without progress. These include stating clearly that agencies we fund must put downtown rail connections as a priority, stating that Auburn wishes to see commuter connections to Portland, and requiring that a contract for services by the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council be brought before them by November or funding will be lost. These are not easy debates to have, but they must be had.

What has the city manager and the city staff done during the past two years that you agree with? What have they done that you disagree with?

After a rough few years of uncertainty, I am proud that our staff has come together as a team and remain committed to the future of our community. That shows a lot of character and we are fortunate to have the men and women that work for this city putting in that type of effort.

What has the school committee done during the past two years that you agree with? What have they done that you disagree with?

The School Committee making the hard decision to privatize school transportation to ensure we can limit funding spent on non-core functions and maximize dollars in the classroom was a bold step that should be commended.The School Committee not sharing the direction of the Auburn City Council that we should ask our lead management to discuss consolidation of back-office services to further save dollars was frustrating. I remain optimistic that after November this will be an option.

What is your solution for Auburn’s high school?

With assurances that the state will be a partner in a new high school facility, we should create a NEW planning committee for high school education in the community that includes a focus on transitions from high school to the trades, community colleges or four year colleges. The programming and services discussion occurring now, with partners such as Lewiston High School and the Regional Tech Center, Bates, USM, CMCC, Kaplan and others, will ensure that the new school we build will meet the 21st century needs that cant be met at partner facilities.

Auburn taxpayers cannot afford to maintain the existing educational facilities here, let alone a new $60 million high school, even if the state funds the initial capital. An honest discussion about capital improvement citywide in school facilities is needed to put us on solid financial footing going forward to all school facilities, serving PreK – 12, will match in quality the efforts of the teachers inside.

Any last words?

Copy the Story Link