Jason J. Levesque is an American politician and businessperson. Levesque, a Republican, served as the mayor of Auburn, Maine from 2017 to 2023. Re-elected in 2019 and 2021, he was defeated for re-election in 2023.
Early life
editLevesque graduated from Edward Little High School in 1992. He studied at West Virginia Wesleyan College and then enlisted in the U.S. army for eight years. In 2003, he founded a call center company, Argo Contact Centers.[1]
Politics
editIn 2010, Levesque won the Republican nomination for Congress in Maine's second district before losing in the general election to incumbent Democrat Mike Michaud. In 2017, Levesque was elected mayor of Auburn, Maine. As mayor, Levesque promoted YIMBY movement policies, which sought a massive increase in the number of houses built in the city. These policies earned Auburn the title of "The YIMBYest City in America" in 2022.[2][3] Levesque was defeated for re-election in November 2023 by former Maine State Police deputy Jeff Harmon. This dispute was attributed to residents disapproval of his housing policies.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ "Empowering the Individual: A Solution to Maine's Housing Crisis". Maine Policy Institute. 20 May 2022.
- ^ Rothschild, Daniel M. (May 18, 2022). "The YIMBYest City in America".
- ^ Schreiber, Laurie (August 28, 2023). "Lewiston and Auburn say 'yes' to development". Mainebiz.
- ^ Kobin, Billy (8 November 2023). "Former Maine State Police deputy chief unseats Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque". Bangor Daily News.
- ^ Rice, Andrew (3 December 2023). "Jason Levesque says his loss is a 'cautionary tale' for municipal leaders pushing for change". Lewiston Sun Journal.