Lawrence Taylor, better known as Lonnie, is a 34-year-old Republican living at 92 Spiller Hill Road, Raymond, who is running for a spot on Raymond’s Board of Selectmen.

Taylor is a graduate of Westbrook High School and has taken classes at USM and Husson College. Currently the president of Raymond Baseball/Softball, he started and runs his own company, which has grown to 89 employees.

Why are you running for the Board of Selectman?

Lawrence Taylor: I want to keep value in Raymond. I’ve lived in Raymond my whole life. I don’t necessarily feel it’s going downhill but I feel the views of people are not being captured. And I feel that my innovative ways of thinking would really bring value to the town. I think that’s the biggest reason why I’m running (is that) I want to keep the beauty of Raymond – keep the waterways as beautiful as possible and I don’t want it to build too fast.

How do you think you can work with a board, whose opinions may vary at times, to effect change?

Taylor: That’s part of my experience in the workplace the diversity of different people. I’m an opinionated person but I’m very fair. My outlook isn’t necessarily the right outlook all the time but my favorite question to ask is ‘this is what I feel should happen, but what do you think should happen?’ [I can work with a board by] being open, being a person who understands change, understands many things that could happen, and just making sure it’s implemented the best way possible.

What do you think has prepared you for this position?

Taylor: I think a lot of it is my education in business…managing budgets, managing inventories, managing pretty much anything that is involved in business. I feel the town is a business. And, if you don’t run your business correctly, then taxes are going to go up and at some point, quality might go down.

What do you think is the biggest single challenge that the town of Raymond faces in the next three years?

Expansion. Probably the biggest thing to overcome is the building of Raymond – not building too big, too fast; not losing the whole concept of the country life.

How does having someone new on the Board of Selectmen benefit the citizens of Raymond?

Taylor: My outlook on Raymond is what a lot of people feel: Share ideas, be open-minded, understand what other people are looking at, and don’t just look at how you feel. I feel change is a good thing and new, innovative ideas are what keep this world going. I haven’t been in the political spotlight but I have a mother-in-law who is the Commissioner of Education [Sue Gendron]. Maybe I haven’t [been] a selectman but I’ve been in many conversations that pertain to politics. My grandfather was mayor. My other grandfather was a professor at the University of Maine. I think the biggest thing is having an open mind and understanding what the people want; not just what you want. It takes all kinds for the world to go around and I feel I’ve captured that. It takes more than just ‘my kind’ to run a town. Let’s work at it from step one, finish step one, then move on to step two.