I'm interested in knowing more about the Public Safety Committee that's being formed...specifically, how do you get chosen to be on the Committee? I tried to find out 2.5 years ago when the ad hoc Committee was formed, but each time I called city hall I could not get an answer to that, or to when and where the meetings were being held.
Here's the agenda for the Tuesday 2-03-26 city council meeting. There will be discussion regarding formation of the new and improved Public Safety Committee...item 14. Council meetings are held every 1st and 3rd Tuesday evening at city hall @ 7 pm. An Economic Development Committee is also being formed.
Regarding who will be on the Public Safety Committee, the mayor would just love to keep most of the former members on who want to stay on. Many of them work for the police department, or in the justice system. Some, like the mayor, are employees of Lewiston city government; one was a council member. Very few were ordinary residents of Lewiston.
The entire council agreed during one meeting which I attended, that the former Committee accomplished virtually nothing; the mayor, however, disagreed. How much could have been accomplished by a committee which met only twice in 2.5 years?
The ad hoc Committee was formed just prior to the mass shooting in October of 2023; and one reason was that the librarian was attacked by a homeless person. The fact that it was set up as ad hoc meant that there wasn't any reports required to be made to the council. I'm glad that's changing, but public participation will still be needed in order to bring about changes. If I attend on Tuesday, I'll make my public comment, and then leave and watch the rest of it from home, joining others in the chat room of the City's Youtube channel.
