Ah, to see inside the head of Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald, who at least briefly managed to surpass Gov. Paul LePage in the Department of Blunt Statements by telling Somali refugees, in a televised BBC interview, to “leave your culture at the door.” Macdonald, elected last year, has roused grumbling from a wide variety of sources for provocative remarks […]
Robert Macdonald
Posted inOp-Eds
Big Apple’s face of diversity is the future face of the United States
I should feel a sense of satisfaction in seeing my prediction about Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald (now the target of intense criticism for his harsh comments about immigrants) come true. But I don’t. I’d prefer that Macdonald not be pressured into resigning. I just want him to become more thoughtful in his public remarks and to stop lobbing […]
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Posted inOur View
We live in a unique nation of differences
It’s the foundation upon which this country was built, and from which all other rights extend. If we believe that our government is a government of the people, conversely that means that our government officials have protection from “we the people” infringing on officials’ free speech. Right? That’s the dramatic irony about the dustup over […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Group delivers petition, demands Lewiston mayor apologize, resign
LEWISTON — Nimo Yonis moved here as a freshman in high school in 2002. It was hard at first, she said, but now, this is home. Her family fled Africa when she was 6. “The Somali community appreciates the chance offered to us to live in the city,” Yonis, 26, said, standing in front of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Group delivers petition, renews call for Lewiston mayor to resign
LEWISTON — More than 40 people gathered in the rain Thursday morning chanting “This is what democracy looks like” before delivering 1,400 signatures to City Hall asking for Mayor Robert Macdonald to apologize and resign. The mayor is under fire for a series of remarks aimed at the city’s immigrant population, capped with a comment […]
Posted inOur View
Mayor needs to reframe his ideas on culture
Try as we might, we find it difficult to reconcile Lewiston’s two mayors. There’s the one who told us in an interview Thursday he is not asking refugees from African turmoil to worship or dress differently, that he feels they have a strong work ethic and that their “children are very bright.” Then there is […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Forced off TANF, more are turning to cities for help
Portland had 237, the second-highest number among all Maine cities, in the same boat. Those families had nearly hit the state’s new 60-month lifetime limit in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, exhausting benefits. They could apply for an extension or turn to the cities for General Assistance. In Lewiston, 75 have asked for […]
Posted inLetters
In rebuttal, R. Macdonald: Editorial was off-target
It must be challenging to be in the newspaper business in Lewiston, Maine — each day hustling to ferret out stories to grab the public’s attention to keep the circulation going. It must have been a slow news day on Aug. 21; case in point, the Aug. 22 Sun Journal editorial, “Kennedy Park pool looking […]
Posted inLetters
R. Macdonald: Let them pay for it
It must be nice to be able to sit at 104 Park St., donning rose-colored glasses and being insulated from the outside world. The Sun Journal editorial “Education, taxes and generosity,” April 14, criticized my ire over using CBDG funds (taxpayers’ money) to provide services to individuals who failed to take advantage of an expensive, […]
Posted inLetters
R. Macdonald: Take advantage of opportunities
This is a response to David Gemmecke’s letter “LePage forgets the people” (Sun Journal, March 3). I, too, was born in America. After serving in Vietnam, I returned and took advantage of a college education that I had earned (key word — earned) for my military service. Unable to obtain work in my chosen field […]