I was pleasantly surprised to see the Lewiston City Council table the resolution intending to silence the mayor during its Jan. 3 meeting.

As a former city councilor, I sat through hearing all of the opinions of the membership of the 2018-2022 councils, including the three mayors I served under. During that time, a range of viewpoints held the gavel and all were entitled to speak on matters before the body.

The idea of censuring the mayor, a person elected citywide, is at odds with the idea of transparent government.

While mayors current and past have differing views from individual members of the council, this should be borne out in healthy debate. After all, a central tenet of the rules governing both the Lewiston City Council and Robert’s Rules of Order is to preserve the voice of the minority in debate.

It is my hope that the mayor and City Council can move forward together from tabling this extreme measure without any back door dealing to accomplish what we all want — an improved, more hopeful Lewiston.

Alicia Rea, Lewiston