England just voted to leave the European Union. Financial markets went into free fall. The value of the British pound dropped dramatically and there is concern this will plunge the world into a global recession.

Minimally, England’s failure to share governance with Europe will hurt their economy intensely. That separation with different perspectives was what enabled World War I and World War II. The European Union was supposed to prevent that danger.

Ah, well, what’s another world war?

I had a funny dream recently as I heard voices, “New Auburn is different from Auburn, and we have a river between us. We used to have mills and shoe factories in our community. The mill and factory owners lived in Auburn, not New Auburn. That is where we had great French and Irish factory workers, like Lewiston had.”

Somehow I remembered, as I lay asleep, Claire and Danny Sullivan leaving New Auburn to go to St. Patrick’s School in Lewiston with me; and Paul Guay and Ray Doucette leaving New Auburn to attend St. Dom’s in Lewiston with me.

“New Auburn is the only part of Auburn with its own New Auburn Association,” asserted another voice. “We could have a better town if we separated and kept things really local — our own government, council, school board — but, of course, we would have to have our own town hall. And we would need an economic development office, a school superintendent, a police chief and all that. But we could compete with Auburn really well. We could beat them with our closer connection to the Turnpike.”

“Let’s NAexit,” said the first voice, adding, “We’ll separate and make New Auburn great again. All that ‘United We Stand’ stuff doesn’t really work.”

And then I woke up.

British voters chose separation because they believed they were different. “I am a Brit, not a European.”

That feeling will do enormous damage to England, and the failure to recognize the benefit of working with neighbors will poison the politics and economy for all.

Lewiston and Auburn citizens have voted to authorize a committee to study the pros and cons of combining our one community into one government. The Joint Charter Commission — funded with no municipal dollars but, rather, gifts from local citizens with a deep sense of community — has hired an agency experienced in municipal combination.

There have been times when it works (anyone been to Dover-Foxcroft lately?) and situations where it would not bring appropriate advantage. It is critical that the voting public waits to decide until we have the benefit of a thorough study of the process as it would apply to this community, Lewiston-Auburn.

We do many things together: the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, LA Arts, the Auburn-Lewiston Airport, the Lewiston-Auburn Council on Transition, the Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Center, The Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council … whoops, the Auburn City Council recently voted to no longer take part in that, and no longer take part in a joint health system, and to cut the LA Metro Bus service, and has stated that all Auburn employees should not share information with the Joint Charter Commission.

Economic times have remained difficult for too many in our community since the economic crisis of 2008. This is not the time for any municipal government to put its own preconceptions so far in front of a knowledgeable study. And, clearly, it is not a time for any responsible elected official to place his or her biases ahead of a knowledgeable study. Citizens have a right to know, and a right to make a studied and knowledgeable decision.

I believe that there are great advantages to having one city. If one side needs four and one-half trucks and the other side needs three and one-half trucks, only eight would need to be purchased, rather than nine.

The advantage of scale and buying power would seem to be a natural advantage. Almost 10 years ago, the committee studying the advantages of combination found about $2 million on the municipal side alone. Schools could offer more specialized training for young people in STEM technology, music and arts, language or construction trades.

It is critical that our community look at the study with an open mind. If (and it would not be the first time) I am wrong, then we need to accept that and continue to work together in ways that work. There is never a point in divisiveness.

This can be a great opportunity for everyone in our community. Let’s not Brexit or NAexit. Let’s see what advantages one community brings. United we stand.

Jim Wellehan is president and co-owner of Lamey-Wellehan. He lives in Auburn.

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