WATERVILLE — Gov. Paul LePage’s daughter, Lauren LePage, is one of four candidates vying for an open seat on the City Council.

Councilors on Tuesday are expected to interview Lauren LePage, as well as candidates Todd Martin, Winifred Tate and George Weber, in open session, Then they will vote to appoint one of the four, according to City Manager Michael Roy. The meeting will start at 7 p.m.

The council vacancy was created when Councilor Dana Bushee, D-Ward 6, resigned on Jan. 4.

The council last week confirmed an appointment by Mayor Nick Isgro of Lauren LePage to fill a vacant seat on the Planning Board formerly held by Planning Board Chairman Nick Champagne, who was elected to the City Council in November.

LePage is in her final year at University of Maine School of Law and works as executive director of Maine People Before Politics, an advocacy group formed to advance her father’s agenda for policies such as lowering Maine’s tax burden, lowering energy costs and encouraging job growth in the private sector. She has also served as the governor’s assistant chief of staff and Maine coalitions director for Donald Trump.

If appointed, she would serve on the same council her father served on for several years before becoming Waterville mayor and then governor.

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“My dad and I have a very close personal and professional relationship,” LePage said in an email Friday, when asked to comment on her bid for the council seat. “Both my mom and dad emphasized the importance of public service growing up. It’s perhaps more of a coincidence that I am pursuing a seat on the same City Council that my dad served on. My interest in serving on the Council is really a result of the values that were bestowed on me, and my love for my hometown.”

Asked if she might have political aspirations beyond the council, LePage, of Squire Street, said her immediate focus is serving Waterville residents, helping to lower property taxes and ensuring the city can attract and support business.

“My husband and I would love to stay in Waterville, because I had such a great experience here. I have not given any serious thought to future political aspirations at this point,” she said.

In her letter to City Clerk Patti Dubois seeking appointment to the council, LePage wrote, “I believe it is critical that we ensure that the residents of Waterville have access to essential services and improving public schools.”

 

 

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