For many years, merging Lewiston and Auburn into one city has been the dream of a small group of people who have held power in both cities for far too long. As their power fades as time goes by, one more merger attempt is pushed on the public in hopes that they may regain the […]
Lewiston Auburn merger
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Unity will lead to prosperity
I enjoyed reading the Sun Journal editorial on the assimilation of Lewiston and Auburn (June 28). To begin, I grew up in Lewiston, attended Holy Family School and graduated from Lewiston High School. Several years later, I married my neighborhood and high school sweetheart and, at the tender ages of 21, left Lewiston for the […]
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Posted inLetters, sj-web
A significant potential savings
In his letter to the editor (June 28), Robert Reed expressed three valid concerns about the proposed merger of Lewiston and Auburn. I will address his first assertion about the cost of leveling up wages, estimated to be between $1 million and $1.6 million, annually. That wasn’t included in projected savings because, as the report […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Make bold decisions
Most Lewiston-Auburn citizens agree with the Joint Charter Commission’s analysis of the challenges that the community faces. The anti-merger folks simply do not like the merger as a solution. While rejecting the merger, there have been no anti-merger ideas or solutions to improve the challenges Lewiston-Auburn faces. If we all recognize the same problems, isn’t […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Understand the true costs of merger
As a member of the committee opposed to the current Lewiston Auburn merger proposal (COLAC), I have been challenged on several occasions to provide details as to why I believe the Joint Charter Commission/CGR report is inaccurate. While this space does not provide enough room to detail each item, consider just three factors missing from […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Maintain civil attitudes
I am writing to express my concern about the proposed merger of Lewiston and Auburn. I feel that it is a bad idea to merge the two cities. Both sides have been working together just fine for decades. I can’t believe how some people who want the merger have turned to name-calling and have been […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Preserve unique identities
I have finally gotten around to studying the issue of a merger between Lewiston and Auburn. Having read the recent consultant report, I find myself completely opposed to the idea of a merger. I do not see where there will be any meaningful cost savings by a merger of the two cities. The consultants do […]
Posted inLetters
Merger won’t bring any savings
Auburn and Lewiston are both great cities with their own attributes, strengths, weaknesses, debt and revenues. Lewiston, however, has more debt and has attributes that Auburn doesn’t want (the rain tax). Its welfare budget is so high that Auburn can’t support it. Auburn likes its neighborhood school system, and though Auburn’s union workers make less […]
Posted inLetters
Drop the Portland envy
One of the recurring themes advanced by those supporting a merger of the Twin Cities, creating a ponderous big city straddling the Androscoggin River, is that the Twin Cities are in a competition of some sort with Portland. Once Lewiston and Auburn are merged, the new city will rise up and slay the powerful dragon […]
Posted inLetters
Changes would cost money
Merging of the Twin Cities is a hot subject again. I have heard that a merger would save a lot of money, but not much has been revealed exactly where the savings would come from. I am not convinced that there would be enough savings to justify the disruption of city operation deriving from the […]