Biographical information

Name:

Christopher Langis

Office Sought:

Auburn School Committee, at large

Home Street Address:

85 Pride road

Campaign Phone Number:

207 520-9271

Campaign Email Address:

ctlangis@live.com

Facebook page:

Twitter Account:

YouTube Channel:

Occupation or primary source of income:

I am the office manager for a ship chandlery in South Portland, we supply large marine vessels calling Maine and New Hampshire with everything a ship needs to operate. We are in a very competitive business and my experience finding ways to save money and get our customers as much bang for their buck will be beneficial if elected to the school committee.

Education:

I attended the Waynflete School in Portland from kindergarten through fifth grade, I then attended Windham public schools through High School and obtained my high school equivalency credential from Lewiston adult education.

Family:

I am blessed to have a 10 year old son, Cameron, whom I have been raising as a single dad with help from his loving grandmother and a strong family support network. We enjoy playing many different sports including Auburn suburban baseball and YMCA basketball. We spend a lot of time camping, fishing, mineral collecting and many other outdoor activities. One of our favorite ways to spend time outdoors is hiking and hunting for tourmaline at Mt. Apatite park in Auburn.

Public offices sought or held?

This is my first time seeking elected office. I have volunteered for various statewide and local campaigns, including being a part of governor LePage’s successful primary and general election efforts.

Civic organizations:

I am currently a voting member of the Androscoggin County Republican Committee. We are always working to promote candidates who are committed to restoring and maintaining fiscal responsibility in the town and city governments of Androscoggin County.

Ice breakers

What is your favorite food?

My favorite meal would have to be a chicken stir-fry with broccoli, cauliflower, pea pods, carrots and peppers, served over rice.

What is your favorite movie?

“Star Trek II – The wrath of Khan.”

What is your favorite book?

“The next bend in the river,” by C. J. Stevens

What is the best political advice you have received?

I have not received a whole lot of direct advise for this campaign, however I have learned a lot in the past few years from watching our “leaders” in Washington, what I have learned the most is that you must always stand on principle and fight for what you believe in. When good compromises with bad, bad always wins. I am committed to exposing waste and abuse of the taxpayers hard-earned and under appreciated dollars no matter what pressures or intimidation may come my way.

What Maine political figure do you admire most?

Governor LePage’s fearless determination to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars even in the face of a bias and unrelenting Maine media is very inspiring and admirable.

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?

Overall I believe that Mayor LaBonte has done a great job as Mayor. He is a great leader and has excellent communication skills, I am very proud to have him representing us when he is meeting with small business owners and corporate figures about bringing jobs to Auburn. If I had to disagree with him on something It would have to be his strong desire to have more shared services with Lewiston, I believe it is a slippery slope to go down. In the end, if you have this mentality about combining the two cities in as many ways as possible to save money, you could end up with one school system, and if you are going down this road of saving money by any means necessary than you could end up with one mega school for all students, to me that is a very bad idea. Why not have one city hall while we are at it? Auburn needs to remain a sovereign city.

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

I think the council has done a good job allowing the people that show up at meetings to have their voices heard. However, the council needs to do so much more to get more citizens involved and active with the business of the city. I think it is a real travesty that there is no electronic sign in front of city hall that announces when the next meeting will be held. This should be addressed, and soon.

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?

n/a

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

I must first say that there is not a lot that the committee has done that has impressed me. If I had to pick something positive it would be that after two of their budgets were rejected by the voters they finally put on their thinking caps and proposed a moderately responsible budget.I have disagreed with much of what the committee has done in recent years. I am not a fan of the iPad program, nor how it was initially paid for with a huge amount of rainy day money that should have been returned to the taxpayers. I am not impressed with the budgets they have proposed, my main priority if elected to the school committee will be to dig into the budget, go line by line, dollar by dollar and expose past wasteful spending and propose a responsible path forward.

What is your solution for Auburn’s high school?

Edward Little is a beautiful school that is simply in need of some TLC and cosmetic repair. If it were in as direly bad shape as many like to proclaim than how is it still being used at full capacity today? I see no need to demolish and replace it. If building a new school is approved and does happen, than I would recommend not building a brick palace that is just going to be torn down before its actual useful life span.

Any last words?

I think it is time to elect people who are ready to shake things up on the school committee. If elected, I promise to do everything in my power to expose waste in the school budget and to work hard to pass a budget that works for both the kids AND the taxpayers. The only way to see where every dollar is spent is to be on the school committee and that is why I am running. I look forward to serving the hardworking taxpayers of Auburn. I would be honored to receive your vote.

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