Dedicated, Experienced,

Hard Working, Fiscally Responsible

Over the past few years, Colin has identified over $2.5 million dollars in unaccounted funds that have been better utilized to lower your tax bills and increase funding for public safety and educational purposes.

Colin has continuously advocated for public safety improvements. He is one of the six Councillors advocating to replace not one, but BOTH of the 33 year old fire trucks that are still in active service.

Over the past few years, Colin has identified under utilized funds in the city budget and led the way to reinstate the middle school health program with the appointment of 3 new health teachers.

Colin advocated for and assisted in the implementation of the curbside single-stream recycling program which has resulted in savings for the City of more than $2 million dollars in waste disposal costs.

Colin continues to advocate for a comprehensive health education program for our youth and visits our middle schools and high school to speak personally with students about the perils of drugs.

Colin advocated for the City to become a Green Community in which the City received a grant award of $315,000 in 2019 and will be eligible to receive $250,000 every year going forward.

"I work for the taxpayers of Haverhill. I informed people two weeks earlier and never heard back," LePage said at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. "I'm not against this project by any means, but I want things to be done right."

Council Vice President Colin F. LePage says “The Heights” 10-story Merrimack Street building under construction by developer Salvatore N. Lupoli, owes more than $225,333 to the City.

As early as March of 2017, Councilor Colin F. LePage advocated for the green designation, “I’m looking out for the taxpayers. I wanted to go after $300,000 that can be used for other purposes,” LePage said.

Councilor LePage said Tuesday night that residents shouldn't be paying for the city's 2015 building fee and expected interest. "We reduce the total by $300,000 so the taxpayers don't pay it over 20 years ..."

LePage earlier reminded the mayor of the excess in snow removal expenses and the expected income from Lupoli. He told WHAV he has found $1.8 million in obscure accounts or underestimated income.

If history is any guide, at least one city councilor says, the money will be there for the wish lists without touching more of the surplus or the rainy-day fund—and without raising taxes to the limit.

His spreadsheets and charts may cause eyes to glaze over, but even those who disagree with him at times respect Councilor LePage’s ability to dig into City Hall’s most boring documents and find money.

Councilor Colin F. LePage, a member of the majority who voted “no,” argued that the budget the mayor submitted does not emphasize what the city values.

Council President John A. Michitson, left, reacts to Councilor Colin F. LePage’s discovery of $600,000 in unused money in an obscure city spending account.

City Councilor Colin LePage noticed the mayor put only $100,000 in projected “miscellaneous” revenue in next year’s spending plan. “I got $200,000 with one comment,” LePage said. “Who knows what else is in there.”

For LePage, it’s personal. In a letter to WHAV, the councilor writes, “…having lost my youngest son to alcohol and my oldest son to opioids, I know all too well the consequences of not having as many safeguards as possible in place to protect children from outside influences.”

I write today in support of a proposal that I asked state Sen. Diana DiZoglio to file after a discouraging incident in Haverhill — an act that would prohibit the use of billboard advertising of marijuana, essentially the same as existing law for tobacco products.

It takes a strong person to cope with the losses that have touched LePage and his family. It takes an even stronger person to talk about them, and to open up about one’s personal story in hopes of helping others. Thanks to Councilor LePage for doing both.

Four years ago, City Councilor Colin F. LePage spoke to 400 eighth graders about making healthy decisions around substance abuse and addiction, and on Friday, LePage returned to check in on those same students—now Haverhill High School seniors—for a check-up.

LePage noted the city's Youth Advisory Council ongoing youth needs survey, 70% of those ages 15 to 17 say they need more access to resources for addictions, including vaping and smoking. The survey will be discussed during Tuesday night's City Council meeting (10/22/19).

"It's a good first step, it was done locally in Haverhill and I hope it's done throughout the commonwealth and we do the best we can to limit exposure with young impressionable children," LePage said.

“That’s a Whittier Tech bus. That’s also the bus stop and route for the Haverhill High School, Nettle, Golden Hill and Bradford Elementary students. What should we do?” LePage asked.

Councilor LePage asks, “How much less would these things have cost if they had been taken care of when the issues came up? And what could possibly happen after this?”

Councillors suggested the mayor pull the funds from other city accounts previously identified by Councilor Colin LePage as having excess or from the city's $12.4 million free cash fund, but the mayor refused.

The scholarship, established in 2016, pays tribute to the late Chris and Sean, who both took part in the school’s wrestling program alongside current coach Tim Lawlor. LePage presented McCartney with the tribute award at the March 11 team banquet.

Councilor Colin F. LePage, who sits on the city’s Joint Facilities Committee, said it wouldn’t be prudent not to support the plan. “You need to ask to receive. If we don’t ask, we won’t have any opportunity to receive it,” LePage said.

"The vaping products they are marketing to our kids is that they are sweet, they're cheap and they're easy to get. Eighty-eight percent of smokers start by the age of 18," LePage said.

... there are ways to fight the opioid crisis that don’t cost money, but will call for an expenditure of courage, as LePage displayed during the meeting. He speaks to Haverhill eighth-graders about ...

He didn't tell them he was a city councilor nor did he immediately reveal the identity of a young man who died last year of an apparent drug overdose. But when he did, tears welled in the eyes of some students at Consentino School.

Scully gave an update, as requested by Haverhill City Councilor Colin F. LePage during the public participation portion of Thursday’s school committee meeting.