Auburn Ward 1 candidates disagree about schools, council roles

AUBURN — There is an overriding issue for Jim Pross, candidate for the Ward 1 City Council seat — better schools.

“That’s the biggest investment we can make for the future of our children,” he said. “The people I talk to feel the same way, that we don’t spend enough money on education and we don’t do enough to help kids in the schools.”

Matt Leonard, another candidate for the seat held by Tizz Crowley, said that’s why the city elects a school committee. City councilors should focus more on city issues.

“Jim’s a good guy but a lot of what he talks about it really suited for the School Committee,” Leonard said. “You can’t be a one-issue person. I know he cares passionately about education but the City Council is so much more than that.”

Pross disagreed.

“The city sets the budget,” Pross said. “The schools may decide curriculum, but the city sets the budget and decides what resources are going to go to education. And it’s just not enough to meet the needs of our children.”

It’s not the only place where the two newcomers to Auburn politics disagree. A big one concerns Leonard’s position as executive director of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce.

For Pross, it’s a problem and a conflict of interest.

“The chamber is a political organization and they have a political agenda,” Pross said. “They need a place at the table and they need to be involved in discussions. But when it comes time for the City Council to vote, who is he going to be voting for? I think people should know that he’s going to be serving the interests of Ward 1, not of his employers.”

Leonard sees it as an opportunity.

“My day job is creating an environment that allows our businesses to thrive and our community to grow,” Leonard said. “That’s what I do every day. So, what do you expect from a city councilor? Don’t you want the same thing? It’s not a conflict of interest. The interests are the same.”

Leonard’s biggest concern is making sure the city handles new investments properly.

“Especially where this new foreign investment is concerned, people are scared of what’s going to happen,” he said. “But if we sit down and plan with the community, there will be nothing to be afraid of. And shame on us if we get five years down the road and we have not been proactive and find out we went the wrong way.”

Both agree the city needs to improve conditions downtown. Pross wants to see more public infrastructure.

“That would drive private investment into those areas, where we want to focus on,” Pross said. “If the city puts its money into public infrastructure, not just parks and roads but sewer systems, that will convince investors to invest in that area.”

Leonard agreed, and said he wants to find ways to generate more foot traffic.

“We need to look at the downtown traffic patterns,” he said. “Can we make that area a pedestrian-only area? We need to find a way to make it a destination so people can go there, not just drive through it on their way to someplace else.”

staylor@sunjournal.com