Congratulations to Mayor Robert Macdonald on his re-election.
The election was about basic issues to residents, one of which was city finances and the cost to the treasury to support asylum applicants.
Macdonald, in the several times I have discussed the issue with him, expressed respect for their work but said the city has been unduly saddled with the costs of supporting them as they wait for work authorization. That is unfair, not only to the taxpayers of Lewiston, but to the rest of the state’s taxpayers.
I was also concerned with Bates College students voting in the election. These students are in Lewiston temporarily and should not be voting on local issues that will not affect them when they graduate and leave the area.
When I was a student at Bowdoin College, I rarely, if ever, went into town, let alone took any interest in Brunswick’s civic affairs. My view may be unique because I graduated from Brunswick High School before going to Bowdoin, so I have seen the issue from both the town and campus perspectives.
Other than paying the “rain tax,” Bates College makes no financial contribution to the city of Lewiston. That makes it even more bizarre when students from a “tax haven” vote in local elections.
Some things that are legal are just plain wrong, and dragooning Bates students to vote in local elections is one of those.
Robert Casimiro, Bridgton
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