LEWISTON – Lewiston and Auburn municipal employees participated in a “Twin Cities Mayoral Challenge” as part of the Central Maine American Heart Walk on Sept. 26.

The winner of the challenge was the municipality that had the highest percentage of employee walkers, and this year’s winner was the city of Auburn with 9.2 percent of its employees walking compared to Lewiston’s 6.7 percent.

As Auburn was the challenge winner, Lewiston Mayor Lionel C. Guay Jr. will be required to plant a tree in Auburn next spring. Auburn’s mayor is Guay’s brother, Normand W. Guay. Most likely, the tree planting will occur in conjunction with the American Heart Association promotion of its Go Red Campaign in May, focusing on women and heart health, possibly with a ceremony honoring Mother’s Day.

Lionel Guay stated, “By having the responsibility of planting the tree, I believe that I’ve won a tremendous privilege, as the tree will be planted in memory of a wonderful woman, my brother’s and my mother who was a victim of heart disease. I am also very proud of the many Lewiston and Auburn municipal employees who took the time to participate in the Heart Walk event.”

Both cities’ employees were “winners” in the mayoral challenge, said Katie Rooks, director of special events for the American Heart Association, adding that “everyone was a winner with this contest by helping to spread the word about heart disease.”

In regard to the actual fund-raising for association educational and research initiatives, Auburn employees raised $2,118, and Lewiston employees raised $5,462.