Kristen Cloutier and Blaine Linton are running for Lewiston City Council Ward 5 on Nov. 3, 2015. Learn about more candidates and issues in our Election 2015 guide.
Kristen S. Cloutier
Email address:
kristencloutier@yahoo.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Kristen-Cloutier-for-Lewiston-City-Council-296765250461347
Occupation or primary source of income:
Assistant director, Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Bates College
Education:
M.A. in leadership studies, University of Southern Maine; B.A. in journalism, Northeastern University
Family information:
I have been married to the same wonderful guy for nine years. We have one daughter and two rescue dogs.
Public offices sought or held:
Current City Councilor, Ward 5
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
Lewiston is my community. I fall more in love with this city every day. I remember my mother taking me to Peck’s at Christmas to have my picture taken with Santa, and attending the Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church — an event that I still look forward to sharing with my family every year.
I am inspired by the sense of community that I feel here. I want to make sure that we continue to create a community that supports economic development and provides a safe, affordable, healthy and engaging place for people to raise their families and live their lives.
In my time on the council, it has been my pleasure and my privilege to engage in conversation with the people of Lewiston about the hopes and dreams that we all share. There are exciting things happening here and they deserve to be celebrated. We are poised to become one of the greatest cities in Maine. I want to continue my work with the community to build a legacy that all our children can be proud of.
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?
Let’s be honest. As taxpayers, all of these services are priorities.
As the City Council representative to the School Committee, as a member of the District Proficiency-Based Learning Committee, and as the parent of a first-grader at Farwell Elementary School, education is a priority that I am most passionate about.
Research has shown that high school graduates who have had access to a quality education throughout their primary and secondary school careers are more likely to be active and productive members of our society, to find gainful employment and to have stable families. They are also less likely to commit serious crimes, to place high demands on our public health care system, and to be enrolled in social welfare programs. Investing in education makes sense for everyone, not just those with children in the public school system. It is far more cost-effective than paying for the social and economic consequences of under-funded, low-quality schools.
That being said, public safety is equally as important and I am proud of the work that our police and fire departments do on a daily basis, which is why I have supported the Lewiston Police Department’s “Operation Hot Spot.”
I am also happy to report that Lewiston’s crime rate is lower than that of Portland, Bangor or Augusta — a major accomplishment for which we should all be proud.
In response to concerns expressed by the fire department, I was recently appointed by the mayor to the newly formed Downtown Building Task Force, which will examine downtown housing issues in relation to fire and public safety hazards. I am looking forward to diving into these issues and figuring out ways to provide more support and alternative funding sources for these critical public safety departments.
Finally, I have advocated for increased city funding for road reconstruction and road resurfacing in each city budget. Our city has fallen behind in this regard and every resident recognizes this. I have come to learn that it is much more costly to repair roads later than it is to maintain them on a regular basis.
I’d like to see the city figure out a way to better prioritize maintenance, which is why I supported the creation and the continued service of the Public Works Oversight Committee.
Still, financial resources are limited, and we need to be creative and think “outside of the box” if we are going to do more with limited resources, which is why I hope closer oversight of the Public Works Department will create efficiencies and cost savings to provide more resources for these vital services.
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?
The budget that was passed this year was fair, but not ideal. It is always a challenge to try to balance the burden of taxes on local residents with the need to make strategic investments that broaden the tax base.
As a taxpayer myself — with a family who lives paycheck to paycheck — I understand how difficult it can be to make ends meet when you are suddenly faced with an increase in your property tax bill.
As the councilor for Ward 5, I have worked with other council members to maintain a stable property tax rate despite continued cuts to revenue-sharing by the state and the state’s failure to provide 55 percent of the cost for public education.
In conversations that I have had with local developers, I have learned that in order to attract new businesses and in order to entice young people to call Lewiston home, we have to show that we, as current residents, are willing to invest in Lewiston first. This is why I have advocated for and supported various economic development projects that not only broaden the tax base, but provide employment opportunities for residents of our community. We need to give people and businesses a reason to come here and I believe the council has tried to create those opportunities in as cost-effective a way as possible.
Projects like the Hampton Inn, the Lofts at Bates Mill, Argo Marketing, Baxter Brewing, Forage Market, Rainbow Bicycle, Healey Terrace and Maine Community Health Options have resulted in more than $139 million in new investment since January 2010. These projects have been made possible through collaborative partnership and forward-thinking leadership on the part of our municipal government.
What about land banking? Should the city be allowed to set aside parcels for specific kinds of development, say to promote retail or housing around the river front?
Land banking is a policy the city has used to acquire surplus properties and convert them to productive use or hold them for long-term strategic public purposes. Land banking turns abandoned properties into develop-able properties and community assets.
As we all know, abandoned properties have long presented a significant challenge for the city of Lewiston. These properties become a drain on local taxpayers and can lead to a loss of property value for nearby homeowners. The city has tried to address some of these issues through demolition of derelict properties. Land banking simply provides another resource to the overall redevelopment plan for the city. It allows the city to take an active and direct role in the future vision of our community and is consistent with our draft comprehensive plan: Legacy Lewiston.
As part of the Comprehensive Plan Think Tank, as both a private citizen and then as a city councilor, I support the recommendations of the committee to incorporate land banking as one tool in the city’s redevelopment toolbox when appropriate. It should not be our only tool, nor should it be implemented across the board. We need to allow ourselves the flexibility to implement whatever policy makes sense in order to promote overall strategic redevelopment. To leave land banking out of the mix of possibilities would be short-sighted and limiting to the growth of our local economy.
What would you do to improve Lewiston’s downtown housing stock? Should the city even be involved in downtown housing? Why do you think that?
As elected leaders of the community, the City Council is charged with the creation of a vision for the community it represents. Housing is a large part of that vision. The council would not be doing its job if it ignored this basic need. You simply cannot walk or drive through our downtown residential neighborhood and deny the fact that much of our housing stock is in disrepair or worse.
As a community, many have spent a fair amount of time blaming various groups, organizations or city departments for this. This strategy has caused us to become polarized. I believe it is time for all of us to come together to deal with the problem. I’d like to see us set aside our various agendas and work toward the common good: more dynamic, healthy, clean and safe housing options for everyone.
We need to support our residents, which includes both landlords and tenants. The city has several loan programs in place to help local landlords make basic improvements to their buildings. In addition, Lewiston-Auburn is the recipient of a $3 million lead abatement grant, which assists landlords in addressing lead paint issues in their buildings. I have supported the development of these programs and would encourage any landlord to apply at City Hall.
Not only is it important for us to address these issues for the health and safety of the current residents of our community, but it makes good economic sense as well: we need to improve our downtown housing stock if we are ever going to attract new businesses and residents.
I advocated strongly for Lewiston-Auburn to become a Green and Healthy Homes Initiative site and have spent the past 20-plus months working to break the link between unhealthy homes and unhealthy children by replacing stand-alone housing intervention programs with an integrated, whole-house approach. I have also worked with Healthy Androscoggin, the State of Maine Lead Program, and the Lewiston-Auburn Public Health Committee to raise awareness about the high incidence of childhood lead poisonings within the cities and strategies for prevention.
The incidence of childhood lead poisonings in Lewiston is almost four times the state average. This is simply unacceptable. I look forward to continuing this work.
Blaine B. Linton
Email address:
blaine_linton@msn.com
Occupation or primary source of income:
Substance abuse counselor
Education:
Some college
Family information:
I am currently the father of two boys, ages 8 and 10, and have been in a committed relationship for the past four years.
Public offices sought or held:
I am seeking the City Council seat for Lewiston Ward 5.
Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?
As a board member of Blue Willow Counseling, and as a counselor, I have seen the many challenges and struggles that face the business community as well as the individuals of Lewiston.
In my line of work I am trained to truly listen to people’s needs and to find the creative solutions and compromise necessary to improve the lives of those I work with. These are the same qualities that I can bring to the city of Lewiston.
I would ask voters to select me for the reason that I will listen to my constituents and work to meet their needs as opposed to a hard-line political agenda.
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?
My top spending priority at this time would be education; it has many short-term and long-term benefits. Knowledge is power, as they say, and education is associated with decreased crime, declines in substance abuse rates, increased business, higher incomes and that means less tax dollars wasted long-term, and more tax dollars coming back to the community, to our roads and public safety.
I see the consequences of lack of education in my office each week and it is clear that it would be money well spent.
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 would like to see more budgeted for youth programs in this area to help with reducing crime, early onset of substance abuse, and to keep kids participating in the schools and their education. I know that there is not always enough to go around but I feel this could really make a difference for the community.
What about land banking? Should the city be allowed to set aside parcels for specific kinds of development, say to promote retail or housing around the river front?
I believe the city should be allowed to land bank providing that the cost is not too extreme. A great deal of business growth in this area has come about through land banking, however whenever we are spending the taxpayers’ money we do need to exercise discretion.
What would you do to improve Lewiston’s downtown housing stock? Should the city even be involved in downtown housing? Why do you think that?
There is a great deal that can be done with the downtown and I believe that the city should play a role. The problem is twofold in that improving the downtown presents challenges for both landlords and tenants, neither of whom are always invested.
We need to find a way for both landlords and tenants to start investing themselves into these properties and, in order to do so, we need to find ways to empower both with regulation that protects landlords from abusive tenants and tenants from abusive landlords. When tenants value the places they live, they will take care of them; when landlords feel they can trust their tenants, they will invest in their buildings.
The downtown is associated with poverty, drugs, crime, bedbugs, cockroaches, etc., and if we do not work as a city to address these problems then these problems will only grow further.
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