Maine has been my home for 45 years and Lewiston for the past two. I have watched the city go from having a thriving economy with a polluted river to a city whose manufacturing base disappeared, along with its vibrant economy.

The city’s buildings sat depleted and vacant. Opportunities for the future looked dark.

In the early 1980s, my favorite T-shirt read, “I believe in Lewiston.” While most people across the state considered the prospects for Lewiston bleak, the people of Lewiston never gave up hope. They believed.

Now the river runs clean, the magnificent architecture hosts diversified businesses. Lisbon Street is once again alive and Kennedy Park has great promise of becoming a centerpiece for the city.

Instead of running into people who say to me, “Why do you live in Lewiston?” I run into people who say, “I hear there is a lot going on there,” or “Hey, what is the name of that great restaurant I just heard about?” or, “I just took the most amazing paddle on the Androscoggin.”

The challenges still confronting the city are many, in part because it is the second-largest urban area in a rural state.

On Dec. 13, Lewiston residents will go to the polls to elect a mayor. The city’s chief spokesman must be a positive voice for change, not negative and mean-spirited.

Listen carefully to whom is looking at the glass half full.

Deborah Burd, Lewiston