The latest go-around involving Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert's rebuttal of a statement made by Paul LePage only reaffirms my opinion that politicians love to talk just to hear themselves talk.

LePage (mayor of Waterville) obviously knows the workings of city government better than Lewiston's illustrious mayor. Every citizen in Lewiston knows that not all of the excise tax money goes toward road repair, maintenance and such, and we didn't need an outsider to tell us that. Lewiston's streets would not be in such disrepair if money was set aside each year to maintain them, as Gilbert would like people to believe.

In a common-sense world, a set number of streets would be done every year, but obviously, they are not. With the mild winter we just had, extra money should have been available on top of the money saved by not demolishing Bates Mill No. 5.

I live on a street that has not been repaved since 1988 and I'm sure there are many others like it around. The asphalt on my street is so grooved by the elements that any major rainstorm or such will create massive wash-aways or sink holes.

So, the question arises, where is the money actually spent?

Jacqueline P. Smith, Lewiston