Lamoureux announces council bid

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Mike Lamoureux served as chairman of the Burrillville Charter Review Commission.

BURRILLVILLE – A third generation town resident who was inspired to get involved in local politics by Invenergy LLC’s proposal to build a 1,000 megawatt power plant has announced his bid for the Burrillville Town Council.

Michael Lamoureux, 40, of Camp Dixie Road, will be making his first run for office in 2018, seeking one of seven seats on the board.

A graduate from Burrillville High School who has a bachelor’s in business management from Becker College, Lamoureux currently works as a IT solution architect for pharmaceutical company Sanofi. He is the vice president of the Burrillville Land Trust and a member of Friends of Jesse Smith Library.

The former Burrillville Little League and Youth Soccer coach says he became active in town politics three years ago after learning of the proposal. Lamoreux was among local activists who began attending town and state meetings to discuss the proposed plant, and gathering resolutions in opposition in towns across Rhode Island, as well as Connecticut and Massachusetts.

He was also one of three hikers who walked 78 miles from Charlestown to Douglas, Mass. to raise awareness of the plant.

But Lamoureux says the proposal, and how the council reacts to the outcome once a decision is finally issued by the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board at the start of next year, is not the only town issue that he’s concerned about.

“While I was originally attending Town Council meetings specifically because of the proposed power plant, I now find myself attending to learn about other topics that are important to our town,” he said. “There is a lot going on and I would like to get more involved.”

Lamoureux said that while he was tempted to run for a seat on the Town Council two years ago, but wanted to make sure his desire to get involved was more than a reaction to one specific issue.

“Although the Invenergy project is a big issue for our town, there are many other topics that require just as much attention,” he said.

In addition to the power plant, Lamoureux said his priorities include tackling substance abuse and expanding the work of the Burrillville Prevention Action Coalition. He also hopes to focus on making improvements to town schools, and says the council needs to take a proactive approach to maintaining Burrillville’s strong financial position.

“It will also be important to come up with creative ways to attract businesses that fit in with the unique rural character of our town,” Lamoureux said.

Lamoureux lives in Pascoag with his wife Christine and two sons, Jack and Mike Jr. He will be holding a meet and greet with residents on Thursday, July 26 at the Townsmen Club. Additional details on the event will be posted on his Facebook page.

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