LEWISTON — Mayoral candidate Ben Chin would promote new models for downtown home ownership, create a development zone along Lisbon Street and an office for immigrants and new Americans in City Hall and promote solar energy, he said Thursday.
“This year, the people of Lewiston have a choice — it’s between new ideas and the same old, same old, ” Chin said.
Chin, the political director for the Maine People’s Alliance, announced his plans and released results of a resident survey at a news conference in front of Forage Market on Lisbon Street.
Banked by supporters from the Maine People’s Alliance, Chin said his ideas would help wrest the control of Lewiston’s future away from slumlords in favor of one controlled by the people who live here.
“To the cynics that believe this change is impossible, I have only one thing to say: Get out of the way,” Chin said. “There is a new generation that is ready to take on these challenges, and we don’t fear failure. We only fear leaving our children stuck in the status quo.”
Chin is one of four people seeking to replace Mayor Robert Macdonald in the Nov. 3 election. Others seeking the office are Realtor Steve Morgan, Luke Jensen and Charles Soule.
Cooperative housing, where residents own shares of their building and have responsibility for its upkeep, would be part of Chin’s plan.
“Residents have a real stake in bettering their buildings and the capital stays local,” he said.
He also called for a development zone along downtown Lisbon Street to promote more restaurants, retail and housing.
“Every storefront should be like Forage’s,” he said. “And no more empty, abandoned lots.”
He also called for a city office to help new immigrants settle in Lewiston and find opportunities for education and jobs.
Finally, Chin said he wants to focus on solar energy.
“We need to create some high-wage blue-collar jobs in an emerging sector,” he said. “My pick is solar energy.”
He would partner with private business to put solar panels on roofs, parking lots and vacant spaces to generate power.
Chin also released results of a survey asking Lewiston residents to grade city services.
The survey was mailed to all Lewiston residents, asking them to rate city services, and about 100 responded. Most services received good grades, with the library and Fire and Police departments all getting a score of A or A-. Water and Sewer departments, parking and Parks and Recreation all received B- or better, according to the survey.
The lowest grade was reserved for code enforcement, which received a C+ in Chin’s survey.
Chin said he interpreted that as indicating residents’ frustration with Lewiston’s downtown housing.
“I think people are upset with blight,” he said. “They see code violations happening increasingly in their neighborhood.”
Lewiston City Administrator Ed Barrett said the city does have challenges regarding code enforcement, but thinks Lewiston has improved.
“We have been working to get additional positions; we’ve spent a lot of time on building demolitions,” he said. “Are we where we want to be? Of course not. There is more work to be done, but we’ve made progress.”
Chin supporter Jim Lysen, who is seeking the Ward 1 City Council seat, downplayed the small survey sample size, saying the results were bolstered by house party meetings the Maine People’s Alliance hosted and discussions Chin supporters had going door-to-door this summer.
He said the significant point about the survey is that Chin asked Lewiston residents.
“I talked to one 89-year-old lady, and she said she’d never been asked,” Lysen said. “I think listening is the important thing here. People haven’t listened before, but we are now and it’s how we developed this plan.”
“To the cynics that believe this change is impossible, I have only one thing to say: Get out of the way. There is a new generation that is ready to take on these challengers and we don’t fear failure. We only fear leaving our children stuck in the status quo.”
— Ben Chin, candidate for Lewiston Mayor
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