As a taxpayer of Lewiston, you deserve a government that is knowledgeable, efficient, economical and professional.
When you vote yes, November 2nd, that is exactly what you’re voting for.
KNOWLEDGEABLE.
A Mayor, under the Mayor-Council form of government, would control the City Council agenda, hiring and firing of City personnel, and preparation of the budget. Currently the City Manager performs these same duties, but has been selected based on education, defined qualifications and extensive City management experience. He/she is appointed by, works under the direction of, and is held accountable by the City Council. Under the proposal, the only qualifications a mayoral candidate must possess include being a U.S. citizen, a resident for 30 days, 18 years of age and a registered voter. Lewiston deserves guaranteed experience when dealing with a multi-million-dollar budget.
By voting YES to KEEP our current form of government we will ensure the person who answers to the city council is qualified, knowledgeable and experienced.
EFFICIENT.
Changing the form of government will require extensive amending of the entire City Code, policies and plans and would be extremely expensive and time-consuming. The upheaval and learning curve of the proposed transition would cost the City greatly in the efficiency of its processes and would be repeated again after each mayoral election.
By voting YES to KEEP our current form of government we will avoid this cost and avoid lost productivity and wasted taxpayer dollars.
ECONOMICAL.
Changing our current form of government would pay the Mayor $80,000/year, plus a large benefit package, and could require a Chief Administrative Official who would likely receive at least $120,000/year and a second set of benefits.
When a competent and knowledgeable person is leading any organization it runs more economically than someone learning the hard lessons along the way. A new mayor every four years will be costly to city budgets. This means extensive training and a lack of experience in managing city organizational budgets and staff.
By voting YES to KEEP our current form of government taxpayers will save over $100,000 just in salaries and benefits alone
PROFESSIONAL.
A study performed by Kimberly L. Nelson and Whitney B. Afonso, Public Administration Review showed that local governments led by City Managers are 57 percent less likely to have corruption. When power is concentrated into one role it can be prone to abuse. The current form of government equally disperses power across seven elected councilors. This makes it harder for any one councilor or the city manager, who works under the discretion of the city council, to engage in activities that may negatively affect Lewiston residents. The proposed change in government would allow a mayor to veto decisions made by the city council and would give ultimate power to one individual.
By voting YES to KEEP our current form of government we’ll keep power evenly distributed among seven city councilors.
Keeping our current Council-Manager form of government saves your valuable tax dollars, provides efficiency in operations, increases accountability, ensures the city is managed by an experienced individual, and reduces the chance of corruption.
By voting YES to KEEP our current government we will ensure that person who answers to the citizens is qualified, knowledgeable and experienced.