Tim Gallant Submitted photo

Name: Tim Gallant

Age: 66

Occupation: Retired Navy

Political experience: Roxbury selectman, Lewiston Planning Board member, Lewiston Economic Development board and congressional aide.

Why do you think you’re the most qualified, or best candidate for this seat?

I believe I am the best candidate for this position because I have extensive, direct experience in many areas of city government, including problem-solving and project leadership. I am passionate about the city of Lewiston, highly motivated and excited to do this work for our citizens.

Please name two issues that you believe are critical to Lewiston’s future, and how you would address them.

To improve our employee pool, we must break the cycle of poverty. There are four types of poverty: occasional, cyclical, usually, and always poor. My focus is on addressing the usually and always poor. This means continuous poverty for three or more generations. We can fix this with better-paying jobs and education.

Our employee pool can be rejuvenated with increased and better housing, as well as developing job training apprenticeship programs with local businesses who are willing to get involved with our youth while they are still in high school. This could provide a strong foundation for lifelong employment.

What action will you take to support businesses and grow the local economy?

We must start an economic development program whose sole task is to attract new business to the area. To attract large employers, we must offer incentives, ease burdensome regulations, and emphasize local production with local resources. By doing this, we will be able to build local wealth and increase the tax base, which will naturally build the local economy. I also propose that we create a new entrepreneurs’ program with incentives and assistance in creating relationships and mentoring between new and established businesses.

What solution do you support to address homelessness in Lewiston?

The best way for our city to help our homeless populations is to house them and support them with services to help them find stable employment, health care, and child care services. Sounds easy, right! The challenging part of this is limited affordable housing, rising rents, as well as a lack of qualified agencies to provide all these services. My goals would be to first create a system to identify the chronically homeless and match them to services, who would then help them with affordable housing and medical services with the goal of supporting long-term mental health, jobs, and housing stability.

What do you want voters to know about you?

I am married, with two special needs daughters. I am a retired Navy senior chief and an active member of the VFW and the American Legion. I help individuals in recovery find housing and work. I help run our Pathways Vineyard Church pantry, assisting over 100 families each week.