WATERVILLE — The city’s pay-as-you-throw trash pickup, reducing crime and making Waterville greener were among topics the three mayoral candidates discussed Friday at a forum hosted by fourth and fifth graders at Albert S. Hall School.
More than 260 students sat on the gymnasium floor as Republican Nicholas Isgro, Democrat Stephen Aucoin and Councilor Karen Rancourt-Thomas, D-Ward 7, who is running with no party affiliation, answered questions asked by 11 students on the school’s Community Board, a group of school civic leaders.
The questions were written by children from all classes in the school.
Fifth-grader Grace Petley had asked the candidates how they feel about pay-as-you-throw and whether they would change it if elected mayor.
Isgro, controller at Skowhegan Savings Bank, said if the city does not continue the pay-as-you-throw program, which reduces waste and reportedly saves the city $4,000 a week, officials will have to find a savings elsewhere.
“Two things, as we go around town — everyone loves the recycling and almost nobody likes to pay for the $2 a bag,” Isgro said.
The City Council voted to hold a referendum in June next year for residents to decide whether to repeal pay-as-you-throw, which requires buying special garbage bags and also includes curbside recycling. Isgro said if the city does not continue pay-as-you-throw, alternatives will have to be explored.
Aucoin, a former city councilor who represented Ward 7 and is maintenance director for the Alfond Youth Center, said pay-as-you-throw must be given a chance to work.
“It works for me, but it isn’t about me,” he said. “I think we’ve got to make our best effort to make this work.”
He said he hears people say all the time that the bags are costly, but he also is hearing more and more that people think it is a good program.
Rancourt-Thomas, a teachers’ aide at Waterville Junior High School, voted against a $37.2 million municipal and school budget that included pay-as-you-throw. She emphasized that she thinks recycling is good and did not vote against recycling.
“I find (pay-as-you-throw) an undue burden on the folks in this city,” Rancourt-Thomas said. “I would repeal pay-as-you-throw — not the recycling, but the pay-as-you-throw.”
Fifth-grader Kyrina Speropolous asked what the candidates would do as mayor to keep crime under control.
Rancourt-Thomas said informational sessions could be held at schools so that if students have concerns, they will know who to tell. She also said if the budget allows, the city could hire neighborhood police officers.
“By having neighborhood police officers you can stop the crimes before they even begin,” she said. “That’s what we need to focus on.”
Rancourt-Thomas and Aucoin support hiring a police officer to work in the South End of the city, where crime typically occurs more often than in other areas. Aucoin said robberies in the city have increased and he suspects it is because people steal to buy drugs.
“Having said that, it’s also clear that the concentration of the crime really is in the South End,” he said. “The North End is really OK.”
Isgro said residents must support police officers and the city must create an environment in which people do not resort to crime. Crimes, he said, are not always easy to understand and the city needs to take a holistic approach to understanding the underlying reasons people commit them.
“I think we really need to understand our budget,” he said. “I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it’s easy because it’s not.”
In response to a question from fifth-grader Evelyn Mercier about how the candidates would make Waterville more green, Rancourt-Thomas said the city has a recycling program and while schools do recycle paper, she wants to see a more comprehensive recycling program in schools. Natural gas is in the city now, and perhaps more composting could be encouraged, she said.
“I think the best ideas are going to come from you,” she said to the crowd.
Aucoin said small steps can be taken to make the city greener. Three years ago the Boys & Girls Club started a kids garden and now there are 17 raised beds there and the kids grow food that children in the Alfond Center’s after-school program eat, he said. He said he would like to see more solar and wind applications used in general.
Isgro said the first thing the city must do is figure out its financial status, because if the city can not afford new programs, there isn’t much else it can do. He said the city must get people together to discuss issues such as recycling.
“One thing I’ve heard, door-to-door is that everyone loves it,” he said.
Fifth-grade teacher Uri Lessing, who came up with the idea for a mayoral forum and helped organize it, asked students after the debate what they can do in lieu of not being old enough to vote in the election.
“Who can you encourage to vote?” he asked. “Your parents. Give me some applause if you’re going to talk to your parents about voting. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.”
The children roared and clapped.
As the children filed out of the gym, fifth-grader Spridal Hubiak, 11, said it was a good forum and the candidates had some good answers to questions. He said if he were old enough, he would vote for Isgro.
“I heard all the things he said and what he would do to improve Waterville and I thought they were really good,” he said.
Danica Serdjenian, 10, also a fifth-grader, said she agreed with what Rancourt-Thomas said about pay-as-you-throw.
“I enjoy recycling, but I’m not a really good fan of having to pay for a plastic bag,” she said. “I like Karen and I really support women being in office. It could be for the president or the mayor. I’m just really supportive of women’s causes.”
Jaci Gray, 11, a fifth-grader as well, said she thought the forum was “really cool.”
“I think it inspired a lot of kids,” she said. “I think that this is the closest us kids can get to the candidates. I think they all did a great job and they all taught us something new. I would vote for Karen. I think that she did a great job and that she’s a woman and she’s stepping up to have the responsibility to be mayor.”
Lessing said Isgro knocked on his door while campaigning and Lessing asked if he would be interested in taking part in a mayoral forum at the school. Isgro said he would, and Lessing asked Aucoin the same question when Aucoin was stumping, door-to-door and got the same response. Lessing then called Rancourt-Thomas, who agreed to participate, he said.
“I thought, what a perfect thing to have these three candidates come and talk to the kids in our community,” Lessing said.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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