Lewiston-Auburn Charter Commission: Lewiston candidate David Chittim

Name:

David Chittim

Email address

maineprof@gmail.com

Occupation or primary source of income

Retired engineer

Education

Deerfield Academy 1969; Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Northeastern in 1974; Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Purdue University in 1977.

Family information

Wife, Penelope, married in 1977. Sons, Noah and Ethan, both married.

Public offices sought or held

Chairman of the Lewiston Firearms Ordinance Committee 1992; Lewiston-Auburn Charter Commission

Do you favor consolidating the Twin Cities?

Yes

Why? What is the benefit?

An opinion on this question before the work begins is premature since the decision requires a full knowledge of the outcome of the commission’s efforts. I favor consolidation if and only if the charter resulting from this effort shows a benefit to the residents of Lewiston and Auburn.

What would convince you to change your opinion?

My tentative position favoring consolidation would change if the charter is poorly drafted or if the costs of consolidation outweigh its potential benefits.

What is the single most important question for the Charter Commission to settle?

Title 30-A of the Maine Statutes requires the commission to address several specific issues, including the name of the new municipality, the location of seat of government, the apportionment of debt service revenues and the method and schedule of consolidation.

Each of these questions is important and must be thoughtfully investigated separately and in conjunction with other considerations.

Since one of the perceived benefits is the cost savings resulting from the elimination of duplicate services, it is crucial to develop a plan to transition from two governments to one with the least disruption to the roughly 2,030 full-time employees of the two cities.

If the cities are combined, where should the city offices be located and why?

This is one of the questions to be addressed by the commission. Lacking specific and detailed information, it is tempting to prefer the seat of government to be in Lewiston, simply because its greater population puts more residents closer to municipal offices. Other considerations may arise during deliberations that argue for an Auburn location, and these should be factored into the final recommendation.

Where should the main police station be located and why?

Lewiston’s larger population and higher population density argue for the main police station to be on the east side of the river. On the other hand, Auburn has a greater land area, suggesting that west of the river may be more appropriate to minimize response time.

Before a final recommendation is made, the commission must consider input and suggestions from each of the two police departments. If the Twin Cities consolidate, the new city will contain over 100 square miles, making it Maine’s second largest municipality in area (Allagash) and population (Portland). These factors suggest at least one major substation will be required, presumably on the opposite side of the river from the main station.