LEWISTON – For the second year in a row, Lewiston and Auburn Mayors Lionel C. Guay Jr. and Normand W. Guay attended the American Heart Association kickoff luncheon for the Central Western Maine Heart Walk and issued a Twin Cities Mayoral Challenge focusing on their desire for the two cities to again work together for a common cause.

Last year, many Lewiston-Auburn municipal employees joined the mayors for the fund-raising walk and raised a total of $7,580.

However, the city of Auburn won the challenge due to having the greatest percentage of employees walking. As a result, Lewiston’s mayor recently planted a tree in the courtyard at the rear of Auburn City Hall in tribute to the two brothers’ mother, Anna B. Guay, who was a victim of heart disease in 1988.

This year, both mayors will once again invite their respective municipal employees to join them on Sept. 25, by heading out from Montello School for a one-, two- or four-mile walk. The winning municipal team will be the one with the highest per capita amount.

Lewiston’s Guay noted, “It’s important to point out that regardless of which municipal team wins, we will all have the personal satisfaction that we contributed time, effort and funds to address the #1 killer of men and women – that of heart disease.”

Auburn’s mayor echoed his brother’s sentiments, noting that their mother would have been “very proud that we are working with the many supporters of the fight against heart disease.”

As to what the non-winning mayor will do upon completion of the walk, Mayor Guay, of Lewiston, noted that it’s still under wraps at this point, adding with a bit of humor that it won’t be planting a tree, as he’s still recovering from the May 2005 plant.

The overall walk goal is $152,000, and the walk theme will be “Change Tomorrow Today.”

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