BIDDEFORD — Lifelong Biddeford resident Daniel Parenteau announced Thursday that he will run for mayor in the upcoming November election.

Parenteau, a 52-year-old business consultant who has a Ph.D. in engineering, will attempt to unseat incumbent Alan Casavant. Casavant, 62, was first elected as Biddeford’s mayor in 2011 and announced in April that he will seek a third two-year term.

Parenteau, who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2013, said he is choosing to run for mayor because he is “concerned about the trajectory of the city.” In the last several months, as the city has been embroiled in sexual abuse allegations against two of its former police officers and contract negotiations with its public safety and public works employees, those concerns have only become more pronounced, he said.

“I think that there’s a lot of work to be done in terms of really making the municipal government more citizen-centered, so more participation, more inclusion,” he said. “I think we’re at a point right now in Biddeford where we really need to reassess what our priorities are, go back to basics, and that’s inclusive of taking a look at the dynamics and the makeup of our various departments, and I’m not talking about only public safety. I’m talking about all the service organizations and functional groups of the city.”

Although he has been a strong supporter of the men who have in recent months alleged sexual abuse against two retired Biddeford police officers ”“ a group that has continually expressed animosity toward the current mayor ”“ Parenteau said he has known Casavant for more than 30 years and his relationship with him has played no role in the decision.

“Quite frankly, I’ve decided to run because I feel that I can take the city in a different direction,” he said. “I feel that my management style and my skills are different, and I think the times are such that they require different skills and a different direction.”

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.



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