LEWISTON — A question posed by a member of the audience during Wednesday’s mayoral town hall forum asked the three candidates to choose how they would spend a hypothetical $1 million city grant. The funds could be used for anything.

Mark Cayer, the current School Committee chairman, said he’d use the money to address lead poisoning, an issue that he said has cost the community in multiple ways.

Tim Lajoie, a former councilor and longtime corrections officer, said he’d use it to combat drug trafficking.

Charles Soule, who is seeking the mayor’s seat for the eighth time this November, said he’d put it toward raising graduation rates in Lewiston schools.

The answers, in some ways, summarized the candidates’ platforms during this year’s campaign.

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But, during the 75-minute session at Geiger Elementary School, the candidates touched on everything from the opioid crisis and crime to education, generational poverty, the economy, and even the resignation of former Mayor Shane Bouchard.

Safiya Khalid, a candidate for Lewiston City Council in Ward 1, introduces herself during the candidates forum at Geiger Elementary School on Wednesday night. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Conducted in a town hall format, the candidates received questions posed by the live audience, and were each given two minutes to respond.

CRIME

Cayer and Lajoie pointed to their experience in law enforcement, but the candidates laid out differing paths for combating drugs and crime.

Cayer said the Androscoggin County District Attorney’s office is on an “unsustainable” path with its current caseload, and that he would advocate for more prosecutors.

Lajoie said he’d like to “throw the book at violent criminals and drug dealers,” and for the District Attorney’s office to “stop with the excuses.”

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“It’s wrong to expect citizens to bear the burden of crime that no one wants to deal with,” he said.

During his opening remarks, Cayer said Lewiston “is not the crime cesspool” that some candidates have described, and throughout the forum, he argued that addressing generational poverty and education is the key to reducing crime and boosting the local economy.

“If we don’t invest in education, businesses won’t come here,” he said.

Asked about addressing the opioid crisis, Lajoie said the community needs to find a “delicate balance between justice and mercy.”

He said the city needs to be able to provide services for people seeking help for addiction, but those who “do not want to get well” will “get your rehab in jail.”

Lajoie said as mayor he’d advocate for expanding jail funding for addiction resources.

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Cayer, like Lajoie, said Lewiston needs to do targeted enforcement for drug trafficking, but said the city also needs more residential beds for people seeking addiction treatment.

“There are only a few places where people looking for help can go,” he said.

Timothy Lajoie addresses the audience at Lewiston’s mayoral town hall at Geiger Elementary School on Wednesday night. The other mayoral candidates are Mark Cayer, left, and Charles Soule, right. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

ECONOMY

Cayer said the mayor’s job is also to “recognize all the good things” happening in the city, and “broadcast them loud and clear” to people elsewhere in the state.

Lewiston, recognized as one of the few Maine communities that has a upward trend in youth population, prompted questions for the candidates on how the city can keep them here.

Lajoie said he taught his children, who stayed in Lewiston, to “invest your energy to change things.” He said kids shouldn’t feel like they need a college education, but instead “find out what the need is and meet that need.”

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“We need to provide a place they want to be, with jobs that pay livable wages,” Cayer said.

He added that Lewiston needs to boost its creative economy that will bring jobs and “keep our kids home.”

Alicia Rea and Kiernan Majerus-Collins, running for Ward 3 city council and school committee, respectively, introduce themselves during the candidates forum Wednesday evening at Geiger Elementary school in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Asked what would put the city on better financial footing, Lajoie said Lewiston needs to become a city that people want to invest in. He argued that with strong leadership, and addressing crime, it will bring economic activity.

Lewiston’s place in the ongoing debate over Central Maine Power’s controversial $1 billion electrical transmission line from Quebec through Western Maine also came into the discussion. There, the candidates also differ.

Central Maine Power is planning to build a $250 million converter station in Lewiston, which has promised some $8 million in annual tax revenue to the city.

Lajoie said he doesn’t support it due to the public’s lack of faith in CMP, and those who have disputed the project’s benefits.

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“I don’t like how it was rammed down the throats of the citizens of Lewiston,” he said.

Soule also said he doesn’t support the project, and that Lewiston should be focused on its canal system instead for generating power.

Cayer supports it.

“The last major investment in Lewiston was 20 years ago,” he said, referring to the Walmart distribution center.

He said the tax revenue is a “game changer,” and Lewiston has issues such as poverty, lead, poor roads and could use more money for them.

SCHOOLS

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The questions also hit on the School Department, bringing up issues with Lewiston’s graduation rate and parental involvement.

Cayer said as School Committee chairman he’s seen the excitement in the school system surrounding new Superintendent Todd Finn. He said incoming School Committee members should “get into the classrooms and see the challenges we’re facing.”

Part of the challenge, Lajoie argued, is a lack of parental involvement.

“Education starts at home, and parents need to be involved,” Lajoie said.

Lajoie said he home-schooled both his children because he “didn’t want them to be just a number.”

“It’s not the teacher’s responsibility to raise your child,” he said.

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In response, Soule said that many low-income parents are working three jobs to feed their kids.

“Society has changed, but I see parents there every day,” Cayer said. “Let’s not broad brush parents. We need to inspire parents to be involved.”

The candidates were also asked about generational poverty. Cayer argued that the city’s poverty rate of about 23% is probably closer to 30%.

“I’ve been banging the drum for years that if we don’t address generational poverty we’re wasting our time,” he said.

Lajoie said, “We need to have a community that inspires people,” and there is a link between poverty and crime. He said the criminal justice system needs to do a better job of creating a “redemptive system” for those looking for opportunities following jail.

David Chittim talks about the changes he would like to see in Lewiston’s Ward 6 during a candidates forum Wednesday night at Geiger Elementary School. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

 

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BOUCHARD

Questions from the audience also asked candidates to name people they admire in Augusta or Washington, D.C.

Soule said Donald Trump.

“He’s put up with a lot and he’s getting the shaft from the media,” he said.

Cayer said he “looks up to every single statesman we have. Anyone who brings civility to the table.”

Lajoie said he uses Ronald Reagan as the basis of his political ideals, and that he admires Dale Crafts, the former Republican state lawmaker who plans to run for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat next year.

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The session also brought up the local political upheaval that shaped the 2019 mayoral race.

When asked by an audience member if candidates thought former Mayor Shane Bouchard was right to resign after racist texts came to light, Cayer and Lajoie said yes. They were also asked if a similar scandal would occur under their tenure.

“What we found was our community in the spotlight again,” Cayer said. “The mayor needs to be a spokesperson to make all of us proud. I’m not going to attack people, or other elected officials.”

Lajoie said he had a conversation with Bouchard, who he called a friend, following the news.

“I don’t feel the need to chase down and speak to the behavior of everyone else,” he said. “It was a poor thing to say, an inappropriate thing to say, and his decision was the right one.”

Lajoie, who organized the event Wednesday along with the Sun Journal, said during his closing remarks that citizens have to decide which candidate is “going to accomplish what the city needs.”

“Now, the decision is yours,” he said.

An earlier part of Wednesday’s event also featured introductions from a majority of the candidates for Lewiston’s City Council and School Committee seats.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.


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