Lewiston + Auburn Consider Merger into Single City

It is one of those ideas that may get tossed around...combining twin cities...but Tuesday voters in Lewston and Auburn will be making a decision on that issue.

According to the Associated Press..the last time two municipalities merged in Maine was in 1922 when Dover and Foxcroft merged. But the rarity of such a union isn't stopping residents of Lewiston and Auburn from considering joining together to become Lewiston-Auburn.

Residents will have the final say Tuesday on whether to combine the two former mill cities that are separated by the Androscoggin River. The combined city would have nearly 60,000 residents and the state's largest school system. Advocates say the merger would save millions of dollars. But residents, like their city leaders, are divided. Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald supports a merger, but Auburn Mayor Jonathan Labonte is opposed according to AP.