My grandparents lived on Russell Street in Lewiston. My parents lived in Auburn. I was born in Lewiston. I was educated in Auburn. My children were born in Lewiston. I live in Auburn. I work in Auburn and Lewiston. My children were educated in Auburn. Many of my projects are in Lewiston.

I am and I have always been from Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. When I travel, I always have to explain that I am from 30 miles north of Portland because almost no one has heard of Lewiston or Auburn. When I attempt to bring new businesses to the area, they usually Google one city or the other and question coming to such a small city. I always have to explain that the two communities act as one and are in a much larger demographic draw area and, therefore, we are really bigger than we look on paper.

As a native of this community, I say it is time that we act as one by being one. It is time we look bigger on paper. It is time we take advantage of the savings of working together. It is time to invest those savings into making us the strongest city in the state of Maine. It is time to invest in the future of our children.

I would disagree with one city councilor who has said, “Hope is not a strategy.” Hope is the human condition that drives and creates strategies. Hope is what encourages us and drives us to improve our state in life. If we only move forward in life with guarantees, my guess is that we will live with the status quo forever. Young people are starting to look at the area with new eyes. They will become part of the community only if we move forward, as they do not want to be mired in the past. It is my hope that in the very near future, when talking to potential new companies, I can describe us as being the largest, cleanest, most innovative and safest city in Maine.

Opponents are correct when they say we have visited this idea in the past and that it has failed. It has always been said that all we have to do is work together and combine departments that make sense. No need to merge. Well, here we are, 20 years later, and we are moving farther apart. Disbanding the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council means we are competing for business again, just as we did 40 years ago.

The only way we can assure that we work together and combine forces is to eliminate the two political bodies and combine them into one.

Will it be hard? Definitely.

Will it take time? Definitely.

Will all the projections in the Charter Commission study come to fruition? Maybe some will and some won’t. The study is a guideline for a better future.

I believe that we can be sure that one governmental body will be more economical to run than two. Every giant step forward takes time and a lot of hard work. This is about bringing our community together into one team where we all work toward the same goal.

I have heard both supporters and opposition alike profess their belief that we all want to work together. Let’s put those words and beliefs into action. Our community deserves this opportunity to redefine ourselves and to create new possibilities for generations to come. As Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

We can still have our Red Eddies, our Blue Devils and our Saints. And we can be doubly proud when any one of them wins a state championship. After all, they will be from one city.

Now is the time to propel ourselves into the future. We must do this for our children and for their children.

I encourage others to join me in voting for One LA.

Thomas Platz is a founding partner of Platz Associates of Auburn. He is also on the board of directors of several local businesses and organizations.

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