The people of Lewiston should be proud of the fire and police departments, led by Chiefs Paul Leclair and Michael Bussiere, along with mayor and former police detective Robert Macdonald, for all of their efforts to extinguish, solve and quell a very anxious several weeks following three arson events.

Code Enforcement should also be noted for their diligent efforts in protecting the life and safety of Lewiston residents.

In spite of the community’s efforts to address uninhabitable and dangerous buildings, as stated in recent newspaper articles, Pine Tree Legal obtained a temporary restraining order for the Covey family at 105 Blake St., even though the building was condemned and an attractive nuisance. Had that eviction happened according to plan, opportunity would not have availed itself and two subsequent events might never have happened.

It is time to rally around the mayor’s demolition program by providing the resources and stepping up the timeline. With more than 80 buildings on the list, residents need to support the funding for expedited removal, and petition the courts to sustain the efforts of the code enforcement team.

Obtaining a temporary restraining order for eviction from a condemned building was not prudent and appears to have created a chain of events that could have been the cause of serious loss of life.

Michael Marcotte, Lewiston