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Managing Editor CHICOPEE Retired tax consultant Aime Laramee has announced his candidacy for Alderman-at-Large. A relative novice at politics, Laramee once ran unsuccessfully for City Clerk, but is now undertaking a door-to-door campaign to try to capture an-at-large seat on the board, he told the Chicopee Herald. He isn't looking for a lot of contributions to support his effort. "I want to be my own man," he said. "I've got a lot to offer to the taxpayers of the city," he said and promised to work on their behalf "full force." So far, he said, the reception to his campaign has been "exceptional." Laramee is a Chicopee native who attended St. Joan of Arc School. He graduated from a high school in Maine, and then continued his education with a degree in business and industrial management from Western New England College. He was employed by the Chicopee Department of Public Works for three years and was a self-employed tax accountant for 23 years. Laramee said he is running to support Mayor Michael Bissonnette's economic development efforts and the job City treasurer Ernest LaFlamme has done. He said his priorities include being a voice for senior citizens on the Board and protecting the taxpayers from contracts that are not in the best interest of the city. Laramee is also concerned with road and sidewalk construction. He said the curb on the new Deady Bridge is already dropping in places and that city officials need to pay greater attention to such projects. "The voters deserve nothing else," he said. Making sure the Police and Fire Departments have the equipment they need is also a priority for him. He promised, that if elected, he would conduct a monthly meeting to hear concerns from constituents. "For the city to continue growing, on the path to success, everyone has to pull in the same direction," he said. | ||||||
