In response to Mark LaFlamme’s recent column, “Are people really leaving Lewiston in droves?” (May 13) my answer is firm: No. Lewiston is facing real challenges, but we are a city filled with those who face hard moments with courage and fortitude. We confront our challenges directly and refuse to let them define us. 

LaFlamme described a growing frustration in Lewiston worn down by recent crime and youth gun violence, forcing residents to question whether it is time to leave altogether. I understand where that frustration comes from.

The recent incidents involving guns and young people are deeply troubling. Residents are angry about that. I am angry about that. People are tired of division, tired of negativity, and tired of feeling like the loudest stories about Lewiston are too often the worst ones.

But I reject the idea that the truest story about Lewiston is decline. And I absolutely reject the implication that Lewiston is a city people should give up on.

Lewiston has never been a city that runs from hardship.

We were built by people who faced economic hardship, grueling mill work, generational poverty, discrimination, tragedy and uncertainty and still chose to call this city home. We stayed because we have always known that difficult moments do not define a city forever. What defines a city is the resolve of its people to get back up, stand together and keep building. That happens here every single day.

A handful of reckless acts do not define our nearly 40,000 residents. Council disagreements do not erase the progress unfolding across this community. Headlines may capture moments of conflict, but they do not capture the full measure of a city.

The Lewiston I know is a city where developers are investing millions into new market-rate housing because they know people want to live here. It is a city attracting outside investment because companies recognize Lewiston’s workforce, location, and long-term potential. Families are buying homes here. Young professionals want to be a part of our community.

Most recently a new Canadian manufacturing company chose Lewiston because they saw what generations before us saw: a hardworking community with deep industrial roots and opportunity for growth. 

That is not the profile of a city collapsing. That is the profile of a city still fighting forward.

None of this means we ignore our challenges. We absolutely must confront youth violence aggressively and honestly. We must continue supporting law enforcement, investing in prevention, strengthening schools and neighborhoods, and demanding accountability from everyone involved in public life. 

But there is a difference between tackling our problems or surrendering to hopelessness.

Lewiston’s identity cannot be reduced to sirens, social media trolls, or political arguments. This city is also teachers showing up every morning for students. Small business owners getting ready for the day. Volunteers organizing community events. Neighbors helping neighbors after tragedy. Families building new lives. Kids filling our parks and athletic fields. Residents who believe this city is worth their energy and commitment.

That is the Lewiston I know.

And frankly, that is the Lewiston far more people experience every day than the version portrayed through a constant cycle of negativity.

This city has endured hard chapters before. And each time, we came together to rebuild — not because it was easy, but because Lewiston is worth the effort.

We can choose cynicism, or we can choose responsibility. We can choose to believe the loudest and worst moments define us, or we can choose to keep building the kind of city we know Lewiston is.

I know which choice I’m making, and I hope others will join me in continuing the hard but worthwhile work of building a stronger Lewiston.

Carl Sheline is mayor of Lewiston.