Change is always difficult for people to accept, but with common sense and understanding, people can begin to accept change. Through the years, the city councilors from both Lewiston and Auburn commissioned studies to try to find ways the two cities could work together to save money, but when it came to implementing, it was […]
Twin Cities merger
Posted inLetters
Being agents of change
I have been an Auburn resident for nearly my entire life. As a child, the Lewiston-Auburn communities were distinctively different and separate. Lewiston housed the mills, retail stores, a large segment of the Franco community and Bates College. Auburn was essentially a sprawling residential community with a few stores, some factories and car dealerships. Things […]
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Posted inLetters
Will consolidation save money?
Residents of Lewiston and Auburn need to think before they vote. Will consolidation of the two cities save money? A clear example comes to mind. Some 21 years ago, the mayors of both cities appointed a group of 24 citizens, councilors, city managers and officials to study joint municipal operations and make recommendations. Those 24 […]
Posted inLetters
Leave things alone
I am so tired of all the talk about merging Lewiston and Auburn. No, keep them separate and be done with it. Jan Biron has the right idea (letter, June 11). How many times have I heard talk of putting the two cities together. It seems as if every few years that idea comes up, […]
Posted inLetters
Having ‘pride of place’
One of the important aspects of the proposed merger that the consultant group clearly missed is the emotional aspect called pride of place. Pride of place is a simple concept — people who live in Lewiston, choose to live in Lewiston; people who live in Auburn, choose to live in Auburn. Where they live is […]
Posted inLetters
Questionable financial figures
Regarding the proposed Twin Cities merger, I am not opposed, nor do I argue that tradition outweighs progress. I am concerned by this attempt and hope others will ask tough questions. Regardless of the optimistic financial presentation, no one knows the future costs. Some two years after any vote, the cities would begin the process […]
Posted inLetters
Merger a really bad idea
I am a resident of Lewiston, and I am opposed to the proposed merger of my city with Auburn. I cannot even imagine the prospects of my tax dollars being spent to bail out Auburn’s enormous tax problems. I keep reading about how the Joint Charter Commission received some $50,000 from Gov. Paul LePage’s administration […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
In rebuttal: Savings based on fact, not fantasy
This is in response to James Howaniec’s guest column (Feb. 26). Howaniec opposes the proposed merger of Lewiston and Auburn. He refers to the merger as if it were the brainchild of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. In fact, the idea was endorsed by hundreds of citizens who signed petitions asking that the […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Merger a foolish idea
The proposed merger of Lewiston and Auburn is a silly idea. First of all, what would happen to all the streets that have the same names? Maps and GPS systems would have to change. At what cost? I don’t know how many people have printed address labels, but those would become useless. The labels are […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Merger would increase taxes in both Lewiston and Auburn
The Lewiston-Auburn Joint Charter Commission has decided that it wants to move historic Lewiston City Hall to Auburn. It wants the citizens of Auburn to take on Lewiston’s “rain tax” and welfare costs. It wants the people of Lewiston to take on the dilemma of a crumbling Edward Little High School and the repair of […]