A newcomer to municipal government is seeking election to the Caribou City Council because he wants the city to draw new businesses in while controlling the rise of property taxes.
George Joseph LaCasse Jr., 67, is running unopposed for a three-year council term.
This is LaCasse’s first run for public office. Joining him, also unopposed for the other two open seats, are Jeff Whitney and incumbent Tamara Lovewell.
“I would like to be involved with the community and try and bring new business to the area,” LaCasse said.
Born in Boston, LaCasse served in the U.S. Air Force and trained as a jet engine mechanic. He came to Maine in 1978, when he was stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.
He met his wife, Lisa Johndro of Limestone, there and the two married in 1979. They had two children and lived at Loring until 1984, when he was assigned to Okinawa, Japan, he said. He took his family with him, and they lived in Japan for five years. He was honorably discharged in May 1989.
He returned to Limestone, but jobs were scarce as the base prepared to close. So he sought work in Massachusetts, where the family lived for 17 years. They returned to Maine and finally moved to Caribou in 2008.
LaCasse worked for maintenance and repair firm Telford Aviation on the former Loring campus and also for the Loring Job Corps Center before his retirement, he said.
His education includes some college, and his party affiliation is independent, he said.
He and his wife still live in Caribou, where he is active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion.
If elected, LaCasse would like to prioritize better control of taxes and learn what’s happening in the local schools. He also wants to explore operations of Caribou’s police and firefighters and determine what their needs are, he said.
A key step is to “gather information and see what needs to be done,” he said.
LaCasse believes the council could improve its work to draw new businesses to the area and improve the tax outlook for residents.
He knows there’ll be a learning curve since he’s new to municipal service, but wants to enjoy the process.
“I’m a veteran and retired, and [I’m] new to this,” he said. “I want to see if I can help.”