LEWISTON — Former Ward 7 City Councilor Mike Lachance has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the Maine House of Representatives District 61 seat.

The seat is currently held by Democrat Rep. Heidi Brooks.

Citing the need for a “rational revolution” in Augusta, Lachance chose to enter the race after another candidate dropped out, which left a vacancy on the ballot, according to a written statement.

Lachance said he brings a record of consistency in Lewiston, with four years as a city councilor, two years as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and several cycles as chairman of the Androscoggin County Budget Committee.

He lists the following as his accomplishments as a city councilor: online restaurant inspection reports; defending the property rights of Lewiston taxpayers; preserving single family neighborhoods; opposing Pay-As-You-Throw trash; opposing dedicated bike lanes on Lisbon Street; opposing any new subsidized low-income housing projects in Lewiston; and speaking out against general assistance for undocumented immigrants while many of our lawful citizens go without.

“After proudly serving with Mayor Bob Macdonald in City Hall for two of his three terms, the time has come for Lewiston to have a strong voice in Augusta to represent the working class and retired residents who actually pay the bills,” Lachance wrote.

“For the past decade, neo-liberal progressives and Maine People’s Alliance supporters have been running roughshod with our tax dollars. That must come to an end. The era of ever-increasing welfare programs must also come to an end.

“The money is gone and the taxpayers who pay for it all have been ignored for too long. In reviewing her record in Augusta, it’s quite apparent our current representative doesn’t understand the city, the taxpayer or sound policy.”

Lachance attended Holy Cross School in Lewiston, and was raised in Lewiston, Auburn and Turner. He and his wife, Kristy, have two children, 23 and 11.

Mike Lachance