AUBURN — Active in politics since the late 1970s, Independent John Michael is seeking his second four-year term on the Androscoggin County Commission. He will face Democrat Andrew Lewis in Tuesday’s election for the District 5 seat.

John Michael

District 5 includes east Auburn and the downtown part of the city into parts of New Auburn.

Michael, 72, a lifelong resident of Auburn, is seeking a second term after returning to elected office in 2018. He previously served eight nonconsecutive terms in the Maine Legislature beginning in 1978 through 2002. He is a graduate of Edward Little High School and Marquette University.

Michael has worked as a petition drive coordinator for citizen initiatives and candidate petitions, saying his most important state-wide citizen initiatives dealt with term limits for state elected officials.

He is active with First Auburn Seniors. He mentors youth and volunteers at age-friendly Auburn events and their annual seniors’ Thanksgiving banquet and the annual state Veterans Day breakfast in Portland.

Lewis, 39, received a Bachelor Arts degree in business psychology from the University of

Andrew Lewis

Maine at Farmington. He has been married for 11 years and has a 7-year-old child. His community organizations include the Auburn Democratic Party, Washburn PTO and Stanton Bird Club, which oversees the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary.

Why are you running for the Androscoggin County Commission?

Michael: I hope to build on my successes as an independent county commissioner in pulling the commission together to work as a team for what’s best for Androscoggin County. Unlike state, federal and even many local governments that have a divisive partisan split, I am proud of the team of commissioners I work with who have kept this civil and focused on what’s best for the people of Androscoggin County.

I led the efforts to stop the CMP corridor by getting my fellow commissioners to overturn an endorsement they had given to the project. This created the first setback for CMP. I was also proud to serve as chair and work with the commissioners from both parties for what was best for our county. I stepped down after one year as chair because I firmly believe in term limits and practice what I preach.

Lewis: The Androscoggin County Commission has a once-in-a-generation chance to affect the path forward for the cities and towns within the county due in part to the fund allocated through the American Recovery Plan Act. I want to join the commission to ensure the funds are allocated equitably, and that Auburn will have a voice in the decisions.

What is the biggest challenge facing the county, and how would you solve it?  

Michael: The biggest problem facing the people of Auburn and Androscoggin County is mismanagement on the state and federal level. Fuel prices, from heating oil to gas to electricity, are all ridiculously high. Our groceries costs are going through the roof, negatively affecting everyone, not just people on fixed incomes. I expect record numbers of frozen pipes this winter with people just not having enough money to keep their homes fueled. If the baby formula shortage last spring is any indication, we are going to have a very difficult winter because of the incompetence of so many elected officials.

As a county commissioner, there’s not a lot we can do to undo the problems caused by state and federal governments other than lead by example, as we have done, and show how a nonpartisan governing body that puts people first can be functional instead of the dysfunctional government we have. We also must use our limited resources to help those in need get through this very difficult coming winter.

My intention is to continue to run a functional and well-run county government and use all the resources available to us to help all of our citizens, through the programs we support, who are going to be struggling for the next few years until some responsible adults take over state and federal government.

Lewis: The most pressing issue we are currently facing is the growing housing crisis. This issue affects both the major cities of the county, by raising rent beyond the means of many people, and the surrounding towns by preventing home buying, the best method available today to create generational wealth. We can address this issue by focusing on building lower-cost homes aimed at moving those in the middle class out of renting and into homeownership.

A detailed map of the county districts: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/2013/CountyCommissioner/and.pdf