I read with curiosity Jim Wellehan’s guest column (July 3), in which he compares opposition to a Lewiston-Auburn merger to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. That is a bizarre claim that is a very tenuous stretch, to say the least.
First of all, the world economy has not gone into “freefall” since “Brexit” as Wellehan claims. Markets have recovered quickly since the electoral surprise in the U.K. and the sun has continued to rise.
Secondly, Wellehan follows the arrogant path of Joint Charter Commission members Eugene Geiger and Chip Morrison in arguing that the ignorant public cannot make up its mind on the issue of municipal consolidation until the JCC issues its edict from the mountain top that it is OK for them to do so.
The JCC has spent tens of thousands of dollars — including $50,000 from state taxpayer coffers — to fund yet another study from yet another out-of-state consultant think tank, to tell residents what they, as mere plebeians, need to do. The arrogance of that group is stunning.
Lewiston-Auburn consolidation is an issue that has been studied and discussed for decades. It has been resoundingly rejected consistently since the 1800s, when the issue was first brought to a vote. A small group from the Lewiston-Auburn Chamber of Commerce continues to force its pet project on the citizens of these two great cities, despite little public sentiment in favor of it.
I am mature enough to make my own decision, if I so choose. I do not need a high-priced consultant group from New York to tell me what to do.
If Wellehan and the others want to continue their pipe dream, then be my guest. But I choose not to agree with them.
Tracey Ogden, Auburn
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