Four Candidates Debate Traffic, Schools and Housing at Lowell District 3 Forum

LOWELL -- August 27, 2025, Four candidates squared off at a Belvidere Neighborhood Association forum Wednesday night for the Lowell District 3 City Council seat, the first contested multi-candidate district race since the city's 2021 shift to hybrid representation. Incumbent Councilor Corey Belanger, appointed roughly 12 months ago to fill the seat vacated by former Councilor John Lehey, faced challengers Dan Finn of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office, social worker and Board of Health member Aaron Gendron, and attorney Belinda Dirrane. Sixty-four resident-submitted questions, condensed into 35 across eight categories, drove the evening's discussion, moderated by Highlands Neighborhood Association co-chair Ryan Faria. Belanger cited speed humps installed on four district streets during his tenure and a $3 million-plus affordable housing trust fund; Gendron called for separating school building maintenance from the school department's operating budget and noted the city's 31 schools are covered by only 29 full-time nurses; Finn argued against new affordable housing construction and accessory dwelling units; and Dirrane pointed to the Link Project's projected $600 million in taxable city revenue as a downtown anchor. Early voting opens Saturday, August 30, with Election Day set for September 9.