To the editor:
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Gary Aiken and I have decided to run for city council in Caribou. My reasons for doing this are twofold. Since moving to Caribou, I have seen many local business ventures that have closed, downsized or moved to another community. At the same time, while other towns and cities are trying to hold the line or decrease taxes, we in Caribou are increasing ours. I do not feel that this encourages growth. All you have to do is drive around the city and see the number of houses for sale and you know where we are heading.
Although I have never served on a city council, I feel my background and experience will serve me well in this venture. I have done everything from organizing a union to managing companies with more than 1,000 employees and been responsible for budgets in excess of $300 million, approximately 10 times Caribou’s annual expenditures. Every endeavor I have been involved with, I have managed to cut costs and improve the operations.
I have been president and served on boards of various organizations including the Rotary Club, Lions Club, YMCA and numerous Chambers of Commerce. I have overseen construction projects with budgets up to $100 million. I have had extensive experience in problem solving, negotiations of labor contracts and equipment purchases, budgeting formats and developing and implementing multi-million dollar improvements in plant operations.
I believe in transparent government, spending money only when there is a justifiable payback down the road and having a council which represents all areas of the city and allowing citizens to come and speak at council with their concerns “without being on an agenda.” I also believe in having a council that gets involved in setting goals and objectives for where the city should be in five years and 10 years into the future and working with city management in developing a plan to meet those objectives.
I am currently retired and have the time and abilities to serve the citizens of Caribou. If you are happy with the direction the city is going, I would not be the candidate you would choose. If you think it is time for change and you support me, I will do my best to make Caribou a better place for all of us to live. Regardless of which candidates you choose to support, I hope all of you get out and exercise your right to vote.
Gary Aiken
Caribou
