AUBURN – Four of Auburn’s seven city councilors voted Tuesday night against a proposal to name the South Bridge after former Twin Cities resident Dr. Bernard W. Lown, who became a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

The resolve would have placed the idea of renaming the span between New Auburn and Lewiston’s Little Canada neighborhood before the Maine Legislature. It went down to defeat after arguments that the cities have no process for bridge naming. Several councilors also expressed concern that the public has not had a chance to put other names up for consideration.

The effort had the unanimous support of the Lewiston City Council at the joint meeting held at Auburn Hall’s council chambers. Both mayors of the Twin Cities voiced their support for the plan set forth recently by Auburn resident Al Harvie.

Bruce Bickford, Auburn’s Ward 4 councilor, said, “We need to see more of what people in Lewiston-Auburn have done for Lewiston-Auburn and Maine, specifically – not just for the world.” He said he believes that “naming a bridge is really not applicable for what he (Lown) has done for the country and the world,” and he noted that such an honor would best be bestowed at a national or international level.

C. Ellen Peters, Auburn councilor-at-large, and Richard Gleason, Auburn’s Ward 1 councilor, said they feel a process should be established. Gleason added that he thinks it would be a good idea if plaques recognizing prominent L-A people could be placed along the riverwalk in Auburn, and similar plaques might be put up in Lewiston.

The “no” votes from Auburn came from Gleason and Councilors Eric Samson, Ward 3; Bruce Bickford, Ward 4; and Ray Berube, Ward 5. Voting in favor were At-Large Councilors Peters and Bob Mennealy, as well as Robert Hayes, Ward 2.

Lewiston Ward 4 Councilor Ronald W. Jean moved that the resolve be amended to add the word “peace” to the name, making it the Dr. Bernard W. Lown Peace Bridge. His motion did not get a second.

All of the present Lewiston voted in favor of renaming South Bridge for Lown, but Ward 1 councilor Stavros J. Mendros was not present.

Lewiston Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert said he agrees that setting up a process for naming bridges “after this” would be appropriate, but the four negative votes from Auburn councilors killed the current naming effort.

Harvie, who has personally championed the recognition effort over the past two weeks, told the councilors at the joint meeting that Lown “should be someone that we celebrate here in our community.”

Lown, now 86 and living in Massachusetts, was born in Lithuania.

He came to Lewiston when he was 12 or 13 to live with his uncle, Phillip Lown, who owned the Lown Shoe Shop in Auburn.

Lown graduated from Lewiston High School, then the University of Maine and John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In 1980, Lown and Soviet Professor Eugueni Chazov founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

That led to a Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, which he and his Soviet counterpart accepted for IPPNW.

Lown is also recognized as an outstanding cardiologist and is noted for his role in developing the defibrillator.