More than two years ago, a group from the Lewiston Auburn Chamber of Commerce put together a proposal to create a “Lewiston-Auburn Joint Charter Commission.” Commissioner election was held in a quiet summer election, when nobody pays attention to politics. Predictably, a few hundred people voted and the commission was formed.
The commission’s purpose is to present L-A voters with a joint charter proposal to merge the two cities. They have been working on the project for the past two years. Until this past spring, the commission indicated that it wanted to put the issue on the ballot this November, during a high-turnout presidential election.
After hearing from merger opponents, Gene Geiger and Chip Morrison appear to have folded their plans for a November election like a cheap suit. They say they need subcommittees of dozens of unelected officials to create studies, as though this issue hasn’t been studied for decades. Deadlines are imminent for a November vote: Both city clerks must print ballots; public hearings must be held pursuant to state and local law; ballot machine computer chips must be ordered, etc.
The commission is obviously running out the clock to avoid a November election, knowing that there is overwhelming opposition to that dumb idea. They continue to waste thousands of dollars on the project, including $50,000 in state taxpayer funds.
The charter commissioners should get off their butts and get this issue on the November ballot, so this merger nonsense can be put to rest.
Leroy Walker, Auburn
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