I am the former planning coordinator for the city of Lewiston. I left that position to take a federal position as the community planner for Fort Monroe, Va., this last February.
My last day of employment was on a Friday and you can imagine my surprise when I learned that on the following Monday, City Administrator Jim Bennett announced his restructuring plan that included the elimination of the director of planning position. I was surprised that the state’s second largest city will no longer have the services of a professional planner.
Yes, there are plans to hire another mid-level city planner under the guidance of the code enforcement director/ deputy development director, but the learning curve involved for this new hire will cause the planning process, public input, and the many other areas that a planner should be involved with to suffer.
Of course that may not be an issue if an in-house employee already familiar with the planning process is chosen for that position.
When Jim Lysen resigned, as I would have done in his position, the city and the residents of Lewiston lost a valuable resource that will be missed and not easily replaced.
The planning department and code enforcement department should be two distinct, separate departments and not combined; to do so will only restrict the objectivity and diversity of the planner, the planning process and the growth of the city of Lewiston.
David J. Sanborn,
Fort Monroe, Va.
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