AUBURN — Auburn School Committee candidates won’t have to sweat this year’s election.
Barring any last-minute, write-in challengers, contenders for each school committee seat are guaranteed to win since they don’t have any opposition.
In one of the seven seats on the panel, in Ward 4, not a single candidate filed paperwork for the Nov. 7 municipal election.
The race for mayor and most of the City Council seats are more competitive.
MAYOR
In the race for mayor, incumbent Jason Levesque is facing a single challenger: Jeffrey Harmon.
Levesque, who won a squeaker in 2017 to take the helm of city government, is seeking a fourth, two-year term. He said this week it will be his last, assuming he wins on Election Day.
He said he struggled with whether to run again but decided he had work left to do, including the implementation of what he called “one of the nation’s most progressive zoning reforms” that the mayor credits with “breathing new life into every aspect of our community, from new businesses to housing opportunities and a surge in manufacturing.”
Harmon, a former deputy chief of the Maine State Police, isn’t convinced the zoning changes are a a good idea.
Active in the group Citizens for Sensible Growth, which has fought against a number of city initiatives to change zoning, Harmon said in his campaign announcement in May that Auburn “needs new leadership that embraces the principles of good governance, and that unites the community.”
Harmon also vowed to promote “participatory decision-making” that engages residents in shaping the city’s future.
CITY COUNCIL
In Ward 1, the sole candidate is incumbent Richard Whiting, former director of the Auburn Housing Authority.
In Ward 2, incumbent Ryan Hawes is facing a challenge from Timothy Cowan, director of Community Health Surveillance and Evaluation at MaineHealth.
In Ward 3, John Mehrmann is taking on incumbent Stephen Milks.
In Ward 4, newcomer Benjamin Weisner is in an uncontested race. Weisner, a small business owner, ran unsuccessfully as an independent for the 89th State House district in last year’s election.
In Ward 5, Stefanie Mahr Damien hopes to unseat incumbent Leroy Walker.
There are also four candidates for at-large council seats. The two with the most votes will win.
Dana Staples and Belinda Gerry, are seeking reelection. Challenging them are Adam Platz and Ryan Smith.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
For the two at-large School Committee seats, there are two candidates: Pamela Albert and Casey-Lyn Knight. Albert is an incumbent.
In Ward 1, newcomer Korin McGuigan is the sole contender.
In Ward 2, incumbent Pamela Hart faces no opposition.
In Ward 3, Patricia Gautier is uncontested. She served as one of the two at-large school committee members.
In Ward 4, there are no candidates who filed paperwork before Thursday’s final deadline. A write-in candidate will likely emerge by Election Day.
In Ward 5, incumbent Daniel Poisson is the only candidate.
The Sun Journal will have more in-depth election previews and candidate bios this fall.
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