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The Voice of Reason,
Gil Frechette Will Not Seek Reelection
(06/05/07)
 One of the most highly respected and least
controversial Lawrence city councilors, Gil Frechette,
says he will not seek reelection in November. Frechette
is stepping down after eight years on the council and
says it is a decision he did not make lightly.
“Believe me,” Frechette said in an exclusive
interview with The Valley Patriot, “I took a long
time thinking about this. For the last two months it has
been very difficult to make this decision. I have a lot
of feelings about it both ways, but I think it is time
for me to say ‘enough is enough.’ I’ve
done my part. I’ve done as much as I can do and its
time to give someone else a chance to see what they can
do.” Frechette, a retired Massachusetts state
trooper, has been the voice of reason and a calming force
on a chaotic City Council that is most often mired in
personal and political conflicts.
“I have no animosity towards anyone; this is not
about politics. I just felt the time had come to change
… to do something else. This is the time for me.”
Frechette says he is proud to be part of some of the
major improvements in the city, including the new
multi-million dollar water treatment facility, some of
the great developments happening in the former mill
buildings and working for his consti-tuents in the Mount
Vernon Neighborhood in South Lawrence. Asked if he had
any regrets or disappointments, he responded, saying that
he is still haunted by the location of the new Lawrence
High School on Rt. 114. “To be honest, I’m
still trying to get over that one. That was hard.”
Frechette said the one thing he would have wanted to see
in his tenure on the council was a new police station.
“I was hoping by now it would at least be on the
horizon, but that’s not the case.”
The District “E” councilor said he will most
likely refrain from endorsing a candidate to replace him
in the November city election and speculated that a
number of candidates will come forward to run for the
seat. Asked how he would like to be remembered, he said,
“I honestly feel, whether I have agreed with people
or not over the years that I always acted, not for
myself, but for the best interest of the city of
Lawrence.”
Asked if he had any projects he wishes he could have seen
through to fruition, Frechette replied, “I wish I
could have finished the ongoing project with the Mount
Vernon Park. It’s very difficult to get any funding
in this area because we don’t qualify for most
federal funds. It is very difficult to get funding …
because most federal money is designated for inner city
neighborhoods.”
Don’t miss our tribute to outgoing councilor Gil
Frechette in the December edition of The Valley
Patriot.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The June 2007 Edition of
the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
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