Ernestine Gilbert is running for Auburn City Council Ward 4 on Nov. 3, 2015. Learn about more candidates and issues in our Election 2015 guide.

Name:

Ernestine M. Gilbert

Email address:

finnianscot@gmail.com

Occupation or primary source of income:

Retired social worker

Education:

Behavioral Science bachelors degree

Graduate of University of Southern Maine as a non-traditional student who fully supported a university for Lewiston/Auburn area. I believe in learning across the lifespan and education as a source of personal growth and upward mobility.

Family information:

Auburn has been my lifelong home as well as a community in which I raised my two adult children of whom I am very proud, and where I worked as a front-line social worker with individuals of various age groups in both Lewiston and Auburn.

I consider it a privilege to live in Auburn and plan to represent constituents with the respect and consideration deserved. I want Auburn to be on the list of one of the most desired communities to live in Maine.

Public offices sought or held:

I am seeking the office of Council Ward 4

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

I am running for office because I love Auburn and want to be part of a new and improved future for Auburn. The only constant is change and I especially admire development with a social conscience. A vote for me is a vote for growth with this in mind.

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?

I believe that the budget needs to consider the tax base and work within that perimeter.

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?

Tough call, the roads are awful, every city needs safe roads; I see better/safer roads in rural Maine.

Education is a priority, as is public safety. At what point do potholes become a safety issue? How many public administrators do we need at the top while our children get educations? How many public safety employees do we cut before it becomes a crisis?

I believe that it is time to get real with our needs versus our wants.

Court Street could be narrowed from four travel lanes to two in 2016. Is that a good idea or not, and why do you feel that way?

Court Street should be left as it is.

The four lanes were to take care of the bottleneck downtown and it still is a bottleneck at certain times of day. I can not see how on earth going back to two lanes would help anything. Next scheme will be to build another bridge?

Again, real solutions for real problems is the way to go.

What is your opinion regarding tax incentives to developers, such as Tax Increment Finance deals and state and federal grants? Should the city offer them or not?

TIFs are fine if they are helping with the tax base, creating jobs and not dislocating citizens. I want to see sensible growth without citizens having to move to other states to make a decent living. I am for a living wage for workers and job creation. If this is not part of the equation then I am not for it. As we all should be aware of all of the above come out of taxpayer dollars.