As chairperson of the Lewiston Finance Committee, I am deeply concerned by what I see occurring recently. As a community, we are only at the beginning of the budget process and have just started the review, which comes with many questions, suggestions and much analysis. Members of the Finance Committee, Planning Board and others will make recommendations to the School Committee and/or City Council as work progresses.

No elected, appointed or hired member of the community should be publicly stating what cuts will be made. No elected official should be making statements as to how other councilors might vote; and no one should be issuing doomsday predictions, which only tug at the heartstrings and do nothing but deepen the divide on any issue.

City councilors and the public should use this time to learn about all aspects of the budget, ask questions and then provide reasonable suggestions as to where the city and schools should be financially.

Lewiston residents can help by allowing city officials to do their jobs, while understanding that what one person wants may not be the same as what a neighbor wants. And what one person wants to keep in the budget may result in a cut elsewhere or a tax increase.

Let the process take its course. Be an active participant but understand, compromise is often required.

Robert Reed, Lewiston