Biographical information

Name:

Stavros J. Mendros

Office Sought:

Lewiston School Committee, Ward 2

Home Street Address:

135 Hogan Rd.Lewiston, Me 04240

Campaign Phone Number:

207 332-4768

Campaign Email Address:

zeusstav@yahoo.com

Facebook page:

Twitter Account:

YouTube Channel:

Occupation or primary source of income:

Marketing consultant.

Education:

Lewiston High School, University of Maine BA in English-Creative Writing

Family:

Son of Dr. John and Mrs Florentia Mendros. Married to Cynthia (Bucklin) Mendros. Two daughters; Florentia (Tia) and Reagan, ages six and two.

Public offices sought or held?

Maine Legislature 1998-2002; unanimously elected Vice-Chair of bi-partisan Androscoggin county delegation 1998-2000. Candidate for U.S. Congress 2002; Lewiston City Council 2003-2007; Lewiston School Committee, representing City Council appointed by Mayors Guay and Gilbert 2006 and 2007

Civic organizations:

Lewiston Finance Committee 2008 – present, chair 2009-10 and 2012-13. Greek Orthodox Church, past parish council member. Eliot Ave. Little League, past coach. Salvation Army Advisory past board member and Vice Chair. Boy Scouts, past committee member. Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce. Informed Notaries of Maine 2012-present

Ice breakers

What is your favorite food?

Pizza

What is your favorite movie?

“It’s a Wonderful Life.”

What is your favorite book?

“1984.”

What is the best political advice you have received?

“For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows, I took the blows and did it my way!”- Frank Sinatra

What Maine political figure do you admire most?

Georgette Berube. She was a close personal and family friend and patient of my father. She always voted her conscience and put Lewiston first. Serving Lewiston with her in the 119th Legislature will always be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Local politics

What has Mayor Robert Macdonald done during the past two years that you agree with? What has he done that you disagree with?

Agree: Opposing the Governor’s cuts to revenue sharing that cost Lewiston tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Disagree: Supported raising taxes and voted to raise water rates 20 percent.

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

Agree: I like how council president Cayer has succeeded in having a very diverse council, with members from the far left to the far right, work as a unit in the best interest of Lewiston. They disagree without being disagreeable. Reid and Boehner could learn a thing or two from Cayer. Disagree: Voting to spend over $150,000 in city funds and supporting a project for 30 units costing $6 million or $200,000 per unit of tax payer money and doing so over the objection of the Planning Board. And, to add insult to injury, the project is getting a TIF; So they will only be paying 50 percent of the assessed tax on a project built with grant money from Maine and U.S. taxpayers.

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

Agree: Worked to keep Argo Marketing in Lewiston and helped them expand to offer more employment to Lewiston people. Disagree: Overall I am happy with the way our city administrator and staff deal with citizens. I have no major disagreements.

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

Agree: Protected neighborhood schools. Kids need to make friends that live near them so they can play outside in their own neighborhood. Though it would save money to send all of our children to one giant elementary school, neighborhood schools are more valuable being all around the city. The main reason I entered this race is to protect our neighborhood schools. Disagree: I would like to see the meetings become a little more cordial and respectful of opposing ideas.

What should be done with Bates Mill No. 5?

Someone should put a casino there. It will drive traffic to the downtown, support local businesses, provide funding to fix the riverfront and fund a convention center (like in Bangor) and provide property tax relief for Lewiston residents all without costing the city one penny. I believed in this so strongly I put my money where my mouth was.

Any last words?

After getting married and having children I decided to take a break from politics for a few years to focus on my family. Now that my daughter is in first grade I would like to bring my years of experience to help make our schools the best they can be. I have always been very careful on spending and I believe coupling that skill with my desire to get the best possible education for my girls; I will bring a unique ability to maximize quality with an eye on expenses.