Rachel Randall

Age: 48

Occupation: Certified surgical technologist

Political experience: First time running for office

Why do you think you’re the most qualified, or best candidate, for this seat?

I believe I am the best candidate because I combine real-world experience with a genuine love for Auburn and its people. For 15 years I worked as a certified surgical technologist in Maine and Boston, also training CST students, where teamwork and trust were essential. Running my day care for six years taught me to balance budgets, follow regulations, and support families every day. Serving on PTO boards and leading as a dance team mom reflects my commitment to children and community. Most importantly, I want to represent residents openly, fairly, and transparently, ensuring every voice in Ward 1 is heard.

Please name two issues that you believe are critical to Auburn’s future, and how you would address them. Be specific.

Auburn’s future depends on responsible growth that balances housing, workforce, and environmental protection. Families, seniors, and young people need more housing options, and I support working with the private sector to expand choices while keeping neighborhoods strong. At the same time, we must grow and sustain our labor force through careful planning and creating opportunities that attract and retain workers. Protecting Lake Auburn, our most vital resource, is equally important. Clean water and healthy natural spaces support families, businesses, and quality of life. With thoughtful planning, Auburn can grow wisely while preserving what makes our community thrive.

Auburn, like many other municipalities, is seeing rising property taxes resulting from higher property values. What can Auburn do to address this issue?

Like many communities, Auburn is seeing higher property taxes, but our increase was just 2.8% while others were much higher. To keep taxes fair, we need to grow our tax base with responsible retail and commercial development so homeowners aren’t carrying the full load. I also support keeping and possibly expanding the senior rebate program to help those on fixed incomes. Auburn can bring in more state and federal dollars by going after grants, keeping projects shovel-ready, and working closely with our representatives. With this balanced approach, taxpayers are treated fairly while Auburn grows responsibly and remains affordable.

Noah Yarnevich

Age: 27

Occupation: Small business owner

Political experience: First time running for office

Why do you think you’re the most qualified, or best candidate, for this seat?

My wife and I grew up in Auburn, I have a large family here, and I own a business in Auburn. For these reasons, I care deeply about this city and its future. I want to see Auburn continue to flourish and grow and be a safe and welcoming community for all. Thanks to my experience running a successful business, I believe that I will be able to bring fresh and new ideas to the city and hopefully help to run it like a business that truly cares about its customers (citizens). 

Please name two issues that you believe are critical to Auburn’s future, and how you would address them. Be specific.

Property taxes and the affordable housing crisis. 

Property taxes: I would like to find ways to cut costs around the city by cutting waste and increasing efficiency of current operating systems in order to make up the difference we would need to cover the cost of lowering property taxes. 

Affordable housing crisis: I believe we need to find a way to take the current land we have and cut some of the red tape to allow more land to be used for housing to bring in an influx of new houses and apartments to put more options on the market for our citizens. I would also like to look at some current properties and use adaptive reuse to turn these seemingly wasted properties into new housing options and or new buildable land. 

Auburn, like many other municipalities, is seeing rising property taxes resulting from higher property values. What can Auburn do to address this issue?

Like I mentioned above, I believe that we need to find other ways to cut our waste and maximize efficiency with current operating systems in order to find other ways to make up the money needed besides raising property taxes. I believe we have a unique opportunity in this growing city to welcome in new citizens and businesses to grow this city, which would allow the city to collect more money to offset us lowering some property taxes or at least not raising them.