FORT KENT, Maine — Two candidates are running to fill a single seat on the Fort Kent Town Council next month as current councilor Joey Ouellette’s term expires on March 31.
The winner will serve a three-year term.
Candidates John Bouchard and Franklin “Leroy” McKenzie outlined their goals and reasons for running in interviews with The County and the Bangor Daily News.
John Bouchard
Bouchard, 70, comes with 12 years of experience serving on the Fort Kent Town Council. He has been off the council for about seven years, and said he was motivated to run because he saw that only one candidate was running.
He also serves on the planning board and is a medical doctor with several years of experience in the internal medicine field at Cary Medical Center in Caribou.
“There was only one candidate running, and I don’t like elections where there isn’t a choice,” Bouchard said.
He did not have a particular goal in mind when running for the council, but said he believed that his being on the ballot would give voters the choice to pick a candidate with more than a decade of experience on the council.
“I would also say, as the older candidate, the council is younger in makeup currently, so I think having someone with a bit of a different perspective is always helpful,” he said.
Bouchard also said that one of his goals is to make sure residents can still be provided for without increasing the tax burden. He said that, with declining population numbers in Fort Kent and throughout Aroostook County, it becomes harder to provide the same services at the same cost.
“I think my primary focus needs to be looking at how we can potentially try to do things in a bit of a different manner and still provide for the community’s residents as they feel the need for different services,’ he said.
Leroy McKenzie
McKenzie, 41, was recently appointed commander of the Maine Legion, and is the first person from Fort Kent to have this title. He said he has spent the last decade dedicating himself to veterans, and that the problem solving and professional listening and communication skills he has learned will add to the council’s set of skills.
“My term as commander ends in June and I couldn’t think of a better way to give back even more to my community than to be a town councilor,” he said. “I live here. I work here, and I am raising my family here. To be able to advocate for all of the residents of Fort Kent will allow me to give back where it matters most, right here at home.”
McKenzie graduated from UMFK in 2022, from the Maine and National American Legion Colleges in 2020 and 2021. He served in the US Air Force, and has worked for Pelletier Ford for five years.
He said one of his priorities is to ensure that tax money is being spent wisely and in the best interest of the town.
“I don’t have all the answers,” he said. “I don’t believe anyone does, but you can be assured that I will give it everything that I can as a family man to advocate for all.”
McKenzie said that, above all, he enjoys giving back to others.
“Most people find their calling early in life,” he said. “Whether it’s an athlete, a teacher, a police officer, a fireman, or even a doctor. I found my calling in 2015 when I joined the American Legion. I learned that the best version of myself was when I was giving back to others, helping be their voice and advocating for them.”
How to vote
Fort Kent residents can vote from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, at the Fort Kent Municipal Center at 416 Main St.
The annual town meeting, in which the votes will be made official, will take place later that day at 6:30 p.m. at Fort Kent Community High School at 84 Pleasant St.