Lewiston City Council Ward 2

Timothy J. Lajoie

Email address:

tjlajoie@aol.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/Tim-Lajoie-for-Lewiston-City-Council-Ward-2-246216768894207

Other social media?

Hub Pages blog: tjlajoie.hubpages.com

Occupation or primary source of income:

Thomas College, adjunct instructor of criminal justice and public speaking; corporal, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department

Education:

Certificate of graduate study, criminal justice; Master of Arts in management and leadership studies; Master of Arts in theological studies

Family information:

Father of two grown children, who also reside in Lewiston; married 28 years to my college sweetheart; one grandson

Public offices sought or held:

Ran for election to Androscoggin County sheriff, 2014; Maine House of Representatives, 2012.

Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?

I believe some of the government initiatives — both at the local and state level — have discouraged and stifled the strong values that once bound this community together.

I live and was raised in Ward 2. I know the residents and we share the same values: faith, family and honest hard work. These are the foundation of any working-class community. It’s time to return to those, and that’s what I hope to help Lewiston to do.

With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?

Today, I believe education and public safety should demand most of our attention. Safe communities and good schools attract new residents and private investment. We want to attract people to Lewiston who want to work in good jobs, live in good neighborhoods, and send their children to good schools.

What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

As a personal philosophy I always think government spends too much money.

I will be a budget-conscious councilor to make sure we are being responsible with the money given to us. We have to remember, as elected representatives, that whatever money we seek to spend comes out of the pocket of someone else.

What about land banking? Should the city be allowed to set aside parcels for specific kinds of development, say to promote retail or housing around the riverfront?

The city should not be spending taxpayer money on vacant lots.

Development is best left to the private sector and property should be sold at fair market value, not given away in the hope that it can be developed into a “revenue-generating” property.

What would you do to improve Lewiston’s downtown housing stock? Should the city even be involved in downtown housing? Why do you think that?

Encourage private investment.

Subsidized housing is a part of every community, but providing it should not be part of a strategy to attract people to the community who do not wish to contribute. Government entitlement money is not the way to encourage economic growth. Private investment will return when the economy improves.

Marc R. Roy

Email address:

marcroycampaign@gmail.com

Other social media?

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marcrroycpa

Occupation or primary source of income:

Certified public accountant

Education:

Master’s degree, accounting and financial management

Family information:

I’m married and have two children.

Public offices sought or held:

I’ve never held or sought public office before.

Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?

I’m running for office simply because I like being involved in this community and enjoy lending my time and expertise where I think it will help. Particularly, I want to lend a hand to this community in continuing its revival.

With a limited budget and knowing what you know now, what would be your top spending priority among these three services: road repair, education or public safety? Why?

Although there’s always room for improvement, we’re currently meeting the needs of essential programs and services for the education of our children, and our police department has employed effective strategies (even with its limited resources) that have reduced our crime rate by 24 percent in the past year alone.

Our streets and roads, on the other hand, have not been well maintained. Road repair, therefore, would be my top priority.

What do you like about the city budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

A large tax increase was passed this year, and that hurts a lot of people who are already struggling to make ends meet.

This budget decision was the result of having held down increases as much as possible in recent years because of the recession and the economy’s slow recovery.

Ultimately, the budget was a compromise, but one that I believe will work to the benefit of the city. I feel the City Council and the city’s staff have done a good job with what they had to work with, and if I’m elected, I’ll join the ranks of those who take these weighty decisions seriously.

What about land banking? Should the city be allowed to set aside parcels for specific kinds of development, say to promote retail or housing around the riverfront?

Yes, I believe it should. In order to implement plans like the Riverfront Master Plan, the city must have the power to acquire parcels of land for specific purposes.

What would you do to improve Lewiston’s downtown housing stock? Should the city even be involved in downtown housing? Why do you think that?

To get rid of the bad housing stock and improve the housing situation, the city should continue funding demolitions and consider adding additional code enforcement staff. To encourage improvements, the city should take a block-by-block approach — that is, it should focus on one block at a time and work to find potential owners, lenders and grantors to transform each block into a beautiful, livable area.

The Sun Journal will print candidates’ views on issues a few wards at a time leading up to next week’s candidate forums hosted by the Young Professionals of the Lewiston-Auburn Area.

Auburn’s forum is at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Auburn Hall. Lewiston’s is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in City Hall.

Print versions of the profiles are edited for length, but the full versions are online. To read everything the candidates had to say, visit our election guide at www.sunjournal.com/election/2015.