Tough times demand tough leaders.

Anyone who crosses the bridge from Auburn into Lewiston and travels up our once-grand Main Street corridor knows that we are heading deeper into tougher times with each passing day. What shocks visitors brings tears to the eyes of longtime residents.

While acknowledging and celebrating the positive is important, mayoral leadership of a different caliber is now urgently called for in Lewiston. Jon Connor is the leader who would move us forward toward the best version of ourselves we can be.

As an Air Force veteran, Jon Connor held the line for the United States. As a Maine State representative, he held the line for Lewiston in Augusta.

As a Lewiston native who has shown that challenges must be opportunities, Connor is the candidate who would hold the line for Lewiston against our ongoing decline and lead us forward toward renewed civility, stability and prosperity.

Maura Murphy, Lewiston