In response to Sen. Nate Libby’s letter (Nov. 22), I feel obligated to make the following points.
The honorable senator should be legislating in Augusta, not fighting against the elected City Council in Lewiston, from which he decided to step away. He should be seeking ways for the Maine Department of Transportation to help with the financial costs for helping make Lewiston streets safer. He should not be attempting to strong arm the locally elected body in an effort to place blame.
Where was the good senator on Sabattus Street prior to Nov. 3?
There was ample time for the senator to “advocate” for removing travel lanes and replacing them with bike lanes on that outer stretch of Sabattus Street. The City Council and the public deliberated on it at workshops and meetings for weeks. I attended all of them, gave public comment and listened to several people express their concern with the proposals. I don’t recall Libby attended any of those meetings, even with the Legislature out of session.
Yes, Lewiston has some really hazardous roads and the downtown part of Sabattus Street is one of them. We should be working on those high risk areas and focus on the roads responsible for the recent pedestrian fatalities. We all know we can’t fix all of our concerns at once. We must prioritize and we must do so together, without unnecessary strong-arm tactics from Sen. Libby.
Benjamin Martin, Lewiston School Committee, Ward 4
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