Every day I hear people complaining that Lewiston is a welfare city and that individuals now relocating here are not taxpayers but ones who want to take advantage of the city’s generosity.

That is why I don’t understand how Ben Chin got so many votes in the recent election. According to his own website, Chin is proposing a new office to help immigrants at a cost of $150,000. He is also proposing 100 units of resident-owned housing costing millions of dollars.

Where is that money coming from? The low-income areas he is targeting would suggest taxpayer money of some sort. And would taxpayer money (welfare/housing benefits) be involved in making payments? He doesn’t specify.

In order to change Lewiston’s image, the city needs to increase its tax base, not its handouts. Lewiston needs new blood, people who can purchase the many homes that are up for sale — houses that hardworking citizens made many sacrifices to buy and maintain.

Mayor Robert Macdonald is a caring, dedicated, hardworking individual who works for welfare reform and wants to return Lewiston to its former status and give property owners a reason to stay.

Jacqueline Smith, Lewiston