As mayor of the city of Lewiston, I was appalled — but not surprised — by the accusations leveled at the municipal staff by Ben Chin of the Maine People’s Alliance in his guest column “Code enforcement necessary to drive out slumlords” (April 19).
Code office staff checked with Chin to ascertain the location of the code violations he mentioned so that they could be followed up on. Chin stated the violations listed in his article were the result of conversations with various tenants; thus, he had no idea where the violations had taken place. Those alleged violations can be described using the Maine People’s Alliance’s favorite word: anecdotal.
The area he is referring to would be better described as Lewiston’s inner city, as our downtown is the area containing businesses and market-rate apartments. Every city has an inner city. His column only served to perpetuate the myth of Lewiston being a rundown city.
He speaks of corporate landlords. He must be referring to the stars in the eyes of out-of-town owners who purchased over-priced buildings in the inner city area. Yes, they formed LLC corporations, but quickly found out that owning a building is more than collecting rent.
I will not stand quietly by while Lewiston employees are unfairly criticized. Chin owes them an apology.
Mayor Robert Macdonald, Lewiston
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