Former city councilor seeking Ward 1 seat
27.04.2007, 00:02
Kevin P. Maynard, a former city councilor, is running for council again this fall.He pulled nomination papers Monday for the Ward 1 Council seat, which he held from 1998 to 2005.
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"Obviously the economic well-being of the city has been compromised," Maynard said Tuesday. "I think I can help with reasserting Fitchburg in its rightful place in the state."
Maynard, 54, is a licensed real estate broker and holds a master's degree in education from Fitchburg State College. He works as an administrative assistant at the Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds.
"The history of Fitchburg tells us that we're middle class, built on the back of the middle class," he said. "And my fear is that we have evolved into less than middle class. I need to help re-establish the middle class. ... we've grown accustomed to falling back on social services for help. I think social services have a place in the community, but they shouldn't be what people rely on."
Rather, Maynard said, city officials need to do people to a better, higher quality of life."
He said this is largely a grassroots effort.
Part of this is focusing on "basic necessities," such as sidewalks, streets and rubbish pickup, he said.
The city also needs to find ways to bring more money into the city, especially through state and federal grants, Maynard added.
"We need to adapt our revenue stream so that we have more opportunity for a positive outlook," he said. "In other words, to seek grants for police, public safety, roads and the arts. ... Fitchburg needs to stand up and be counted in the federal and state arena."
The current Ward 1 Councilor, David Clark, said he hasn't decided yet whether he's running for a second term. He and his family will discuss the issue soon, said Clark, who works in the information technology office at Fitchburg State College.
The council terms run for two years.
Maynard was not the only person to pull papers Monday. Bruce W. Marien, 47, is running for a four-year School Committee seat.
"We're just going to try to fight a fight to get Fitchburg back to the way it used to be," said Marien, a technical instructor for SimplexGrinnell and a part-time teacher at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School.