This week’s edition!
Archive for June 2017
Letter to the Editor: Charter Commission picks familiar new name
To the Editor:
The Maine law on municipal consolidations stipulates that the Lewiston Auburn Joint Charter Commission is responsible for choosing the name of the new city. The Charter Commission has announced their decision: Lewiston-Auburn, Maine.
During the past two months, the Lewiston Auburn Joint Charter Commission (aided on a pro-bono basis by a team from Association for Consulting Expertise) engaged with voters in both cities to solicit ideas for the new name. The Commissioners participated in radio, TV and newspaper interviews to encourage citizens to suggest names. In all, over 1,000 submissions were received.
Governor’s Address: As usual, budget comes down to crunch time
Folks, it’s déjà vu all over again.
Dear Maine Taxpayer,
I submitted a balanced budget in January. But—as usual—the Legislature has waited until the very last minute to get serious about it.
They are scurrying around like Keystone Cops, trying to get a budget done and get it to me with just seconds to spare. This is the fourth biennial budget of my term, and they have done this every time.
This year, however, is worse than ever. It is due in part to the inexperience in the Legislature. Too many new legislators have not participated in the budget process. They are basically clueless.
Even worse, there is a massive leadership void in the majorities of the House of Representatives and Senate. Good leaders could help guide inexperienced legislators through the budget process.
Enough is Enough: Most dangerous city in the state, welfare oversight and nip bottles
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
The headline in “The Wall Street Journal” read, “The Most Dangerous City in Every State.” I neither subscribe to nor read this publication, opting to spend my money on what I consider a more important necessity—my breakfast.
I spend my days in coffee shops speaking with members of the public, reading three newspapers and hard-covered books. I do this in lieu of surfing the Internet.
But others do!
Last week upon entering the first of my daily breakfast stops, one of the regular patrons stopped me and brought my digestive system to instant agita (upset stomach) and my mental state to a boil. She told me there was an article floating around on the Internet characterizing Lewiston as the most dangerous city in Maine. She had no idea of the source.
Calling my crack office staff, they quickly located the article and printed a copy for my review.
Franco Center to host “Fête Nationale” celebration
Highlighting the festivities will be a special dedication ceremony honoring the center’s founding executive director, Rita S. Dubé.
The Fête Nationale of Quebec, the Feast Day of St. Jean the Baptist, will be celebrated locally with a traditional meal and entertainment on Friday, June 23 at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston. Highlighting the festivities will be a special dedication ceremony honoring the Franco Center’s founding executive director, Rita S. Dubé.
The event will start with a social hour and cash bar in the center’s Heritage Hall at 10:30 a.m. A traditional feast day meal of Soup Bouillon, Salade de Printemps, Meat Tourtiere, and Cake des Fêtes will be served at 11:30 a.m. At noon, churches from across the Twin Cities will mark the occasion by ringing their bells. At 12:30 p.m., a program in the center’s Performance Hall will feature live traditional music by Nel Meservier and Les Troubadours. Special guests will include Marie-Claude Francoeur of the Québec Delegation to Boston. Concluding the program will be a surprise tribute and traditional fireworks display.
Chamber plans public forum on proposed L-A merger
The Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has not taken a position on the proposed merger of Lewiston and Auburn, but to provide an opportunity for members and citizens to hear both sides of the issue, it will present a public forum on the question on Tuesday, June 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public, the event will take place in Kirk Hall, Room 103, at Central Maine Community College. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. For more information, call the chamber at 783-2249 or see www.LAMetroChamber.com.
APL kicks off summer reading with “Mad Science”
In “Engineering a Better World,” Mad Science demonstrates how engineers design things to make the world a better place.
Auburn Public Library will kick off its 2017 Kids’ Summer Reading Program with Mad Science of Maine on Monday, June 26 at 6 p.m. in its Androscoggin Community Room. Children may sign up for the summer reading program at the event.
Greenwood dance group to host Solstice Soirée
Flutist Meg Om Shanti will be among the roving performers in period-style clothing providing entertainment at the event.
Spark your own cultural reawakening at the Renaissance-themed Solstice Soirée of the Cottage Street Creative Exchange on Saturday, June 17 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Local Hub in Greenwood. The evening will feature the entertainment of roving performers in period-style clothing. Meg Om Shanti on flute, Steven Moore on mandolin, and juggler Jack Gentempo will send your senses back to the 1600s, when a cultural reawakening ushered the middle ages into the modern world. Also performing will be the Art Moves Dance Ensemble. A Renaissance-inspired buffet will be catered by the Local Hub, which prides itself on using all-natural ingredients. There will also be a cash bar. Guests are welcome to wear period-style clothing and bring recorders to join in madrigals and general merrymaking.
Op-Ed: Residents near Bates College should feel safe in their own neighborhood
A man steps out his front door into a puddle of vomit. A girl drunkenly slur-shrieks at a police officer, then starts chasing and pounding on his vehicle with her fists as he pulls away.
A swaying, slurring boy who has just been ejected from a party puffs himself up and yells at a police officer, “Do you know who I am? Don’t you know who I am?”
An intoxicated girl in stilettos chases her visiting sister down the street, shrieking, “Where do you think you’re going? I’m telling mom! You are completely ruining college!” She repeatedly bangs her head on the nearest vehicle and starts sobbing.
A mother has to shepherd her young child away from the broken glass on the sidewalk, as they kick through stretches of smashed plastic Solo cups. A man comes frighteningly close to being beaten to a pulp by a drunken member of a sports team who is held back by two friends, who are a just bit less drunk.
Governor’s Address: Money cannot solve our problems with Maine’s education system
Money alone cannot solve our problems, we need change.
Dear Maine Taxpayer,
Too much money can hide a lot of problems. Well, we spend more and more money every year on education, but our student performance remains stagnant. That’s a problem.
Instead of blindly throwing more money at public education, we need to ask why this problem has been allowed to go on for so long.
Just because the status quo is something that has been done for years doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do it, and we can’t defend it any longer.
Enough is Enough: Low-income housing projects are not a formula for success
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
It has been a long five-and-a-half years serving as Lewiston’s mayor. We tried and failed to get any meaningful welfare legislation passed, thanks to Ben Chin and his Maine People’s Alliance, Equal Maine Justice Partners, Pine Tree Legal and a host of special-interest (not your interests) groups whose voices drowned out the majority of Lewiston’s voters’ voices.
You may have elected me as Lewiston’s mayor, but you failed to elect local state legislators who were on the same page.
During my tenure as mayor, Lewiston has been cited by both Forbes and AARP as a great place to retire and live. This has been due to a very unappreciated and hard-working city staff, which through long periods of heavy lifting has started and is bringing to fruition a positive direction toward prosperity.
But the dark forces of the status quo are fighting hard to ensure that Lewiston’s image does not change.
Connect with Us on...
