I have lived and worked on both sides of the Androscoggin River and currently live and own a business in Lewiston. I support the merger of the two cities because there are precious few ways to reduce the cost of local government without cutting services that most people want. Why pay for two school superintendents, […]

As a public servant whose personal life has been entwined with the economic and cultural life of Lewiston-Auburn for the past 30-plus years, I have been closely following the proposed merger. While I do appreciate the cities’ histories, the fact is that the traditional Androscoggin River boundary has become increasingly irrelevant when facing the realities […]

As a lifelong resident and business owner, I am saddened to see personal attacks in the debate on whether to merge the already intertwined cities of Lewiston and Auburn. I would hope that voters would put aside feelings and myths associated with the issue. The two opposing forces at play are “progress,” defined as “forward […]

What residents of Lewiston and Auburn should do before voting on the merger issue: 1. Listen to what both sides are saying. 2. Read the proposed charter. 3. Separate fact from opinion. Peggy Michael, Auburn

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” — Albert Einstein During the merger conversations, when shared services are discussed, I often hear “we can do those things without merging.” I argue we can’t or we would. If we want to solve challenges at a different level, we need to […]

From 1996 to 2006 I was an Auburn city councilor. During that time, I served on the Emergency 911 Committee. The committee’s task was to provide dispatching and emergency response for both cities. The system was professional and well run. The public safety leaders from both cities collaborated well. I was pleased to be a […]

Lewiston and Auburn are at a crossroad. Residents will be given the opportunity to vote to merge the two city governments into one single entity on Nov. 7. I, for one, will be voting in favor of the merger. I am from away, but have been a resident of Auburn for 45 years and believe […]

As I have studied the Lewiston-Auburn merger proposals, listened to debates and discussed the issues with friends, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to formally merge the two cities. As a retired teacher who taught in Auburn schools for 26 years, I have been paying particular attention to the merger as […]

In 1820, Maine seceded from Massachusetts and became a state. Back then, there were large regions of Maine governed by a few and, over time (almost 200 years) through trial and error, through growth and adaptation, Maine became a great state with wonderful towns and cities. Maine is what it is today because, through trial […]