Mayor Larry Gilbert

Boy Scout Receives Support From Mayor Gilbert On Eagle Scout Project

Jeremy Bernier, Scout from Troop #160, diligently planned his Eagle Scout project that took place Saturday, November 21st.  Days before his project took place, Bernier met with Mayor Larry Gilbert, to bring him up to date on his detailed plan of action for the Twin City CITO, a trash pick-up of Lewiston & Auburn public lands. 

Gilbert noted, "It's encouraging to see that a young man within our community is dedicated to clean-up and beautification.  He's been planning this event for several weeks, and it's exciting to see his attention to detail and determination to make a difference."

The event was held at Marcotte Park on Saturday, November 21st, where Mayor Gilbert help Bernier and the team of volunteers clean up key areas around the Twin Cities.

[Sun Journal]

Mayor's Corner: Mayors Against Illegal Guns v. Ft. Hood Massacre

Twin City Times- Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Mayor's Corner #114

Having served at Fort Hood, Texas during my first year in the U.S. Army, I was stunned to hear of the gun massacre dealt on nearly fifty people by a terrorist serving as a Major in the same U.S. Army.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan was suspected of having terrorist links. The FBI had monitored Major Hasan reviewing 10-20 communications between him and Anwar al Awlaki – an al Qaeda recruiter who acted as a “spiritual advisor” to two of the 9/11 hijackers.

Of course Hasan had passed the federal background check in purchasing his gun. FBI counterterrorism officials were not notified when Hasan purchased a gun. He used that gun to kill 13 people and injure more than 30 others.

Former FBI Agent Brad Garrett told ABC News on November 12, 2009 that “the piece of information about the gun purchase could have been critical. He also said “one of the problems is that the law sometimes restricts you in what you can do,”

As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) along with some 500 member mayors from around the country, we support common sense gun legislation while still upholding the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution which we all swore to uphold.

Mayor's Corner: Refugee & Immigrant Services/General Assistance in Lewiston

Twin City Times- Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Mayor's Corner #113

Last week the Lewiston City Council received a presentation by Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services which was presented by Mr. Steve Letourneau the CEO of Catholic Charities Maine, Ms. Arian Giantris the Director of Refugee & Immigration Services and Ms. Casey Nguyen who directs the Lewiston Office of Refugee & Immigration Services.

Sue Charron, the Director of Lewiston’s Social Services Department also presented the city’s social services that are available to those who may qualify under Maine law.

I thought I would share with you some of the information that was presented so that you would have a better understanding of all that is involved in refugee and immigrant services. For this purpose, I have received permission to copy directly from the power point presentation in order to share the information with you.

Catholic Charities Maine (CCME) has been the only refugee resettlement agency in Maine during the past 30 years. They are an affiliate of 1 of 10 national resettlement agencies. National Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGS) work directly with the U.S. State Department to determine where to resettle refugees. CCME projects to resettle 300 primary refugees in FY2010.

New Mainers, is a term often used to describe refugees, secondary migrants and Asylees.

Mayor Gilbert Goes On The Road To Support The Lewiston MAINEiacs

Mayor Larry Gilbert went on the road with the hometown QMJHL team Lewiston MAINEiacs on November 11th-15th, 2009. Included in the personally funded trip was a visit to games in Victoriaville, Drummondville, and Chicoutimi, Quebec.

While on the road trip Mayor Gilbert was invited into the MAINEiacs locker room after their Friday morning skate by Coach Don McAdams to give a pep talk to the players at the Centre Marcel Dionne in Drummondville. Mayor Gilbert wished the players good luck, welcomed them to his office at any time, and told them that a Sun Journal editorial one stated that after Lewy (MAINEiacs mascot) he was their #1 fan!

Between periods in Chicoutimi, Canadian radio station KYK 95.7FM (radio station of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens) interviewed Mayor Gilbert about the MAINEiacs franchise, the partnership between the team and the City of Lewiston, and his commitment as a fan and supporter of the team. 

Accompanying Mayor Gilbert on the road trip was his wife Pat and son Larry Jr.

(Photo: Mayor Gilbert interviewed between periods in Chicoutimi, Quebec)

Mayor Gilbert Presented Award By Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence

Mayor Larry Gilbert was honored on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at the Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence 10th Anniversary Dinner held at the Marriott Sable Oaks in South Portland, Maine. Mayor Gilbert was presented The Ed Googins Law Enforcement Award for his work and commitment to keeping illegal hand guns away from criminals, while preserving rights for those who lawfully own guns.

Along with Mayor Gilbert former State Senator Ethan Strimling (D-Portland) was presented the 2009 Buzz Fitzgerald Public Service Award.

[MCAHV]

(Photo: South Portland Police Chief Ed Googins with Mayor Larry Gilbert)

Mayor's Corner: L-A Reports Consistently Low Crime Rates

Twin City Times- Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Mayor's Corner #112

Television evening news reports would lead you to believe that L-A is the Crime Capital of Maine. Quite to the contrary, L-A has reported consistently lower crime rates in comparison to other larger cities in Maine such as Portland, Bangor, South Portland, Biddeford, Augusta, Waterville, Westbrook and others.

According to Wickipedia Encyclopedia “The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), contain official data on crime that is reported to law enforcement agencies across the United States who then provide the data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR focuses on index crimes, which include homicide and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, forcible rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. UCR is a summary-based reporting system, with data aggregated to the city, county, state, and other geographic levels. Crime statistics are compiled from UCR data and published annually by the FBI in the Crime in the United States series.”

In looking at the latest UCR figures which are for the year 2008, by population, Portland had a crime rate of 48.2, Lewiston’s crime rate was 32.9, Bangor’s was 64.9, South Portland rate was 49.2 and Auburn as Maine’s fifth largest city had a rate of 33.9, a slight bit higher than Lewiston.

In order to be fair, we have to look at those cities that have significantly more retail stores such as Bangor, South Portland and Auburn. Their rates would be driven up by Larceny-theft. As an example, the highest crime rate in Maine is in Carrabassett Valley with a crime rate of 207.1. The rates of crime are figured by the number of crimes per thousand population. The population in Carrabassett Valley is 478, yet during skiing season the number of people who visit the town is significant and the thefts of ski equipment contributes to their crime rate.

When you combine both Lewiston and Auburn’s crime rates it comes out to 33.4 and in comparing that to Portland’s rate of 48.2, one can see that L-A’s crime rate is significantly lower. So, I say don’t lay that label of high crime in L-A, and in particular Lewiston, as the crime rate is low in comparison to other communities in Maine.

Mayor's Corner: Celebrating Five Decades of International Exchange

Twin City Times- Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Mayor's Corner #111

I most recently received a letter from Emily Fournier of 6 Revere Street, Lewiston a Student Ambassador from Lewiston Middle School.

I will quote below from her entire letter as I believe you will find it most fascinating and from which in the end I will relate to my most recent trip to Paris, France.

She wrote:

“Dear Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert, Sr.,

Hello, my name is Emily Fournier. I am thirteen years old, and I attend Lewiston Middle School as an eighth grader.  I was recently interviewed as well as accepted for an organization called People to People. This magnificent organization was founded by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and since then has included many different Presidents as honorary chairmen.

By getting accepted into the program, I have become a Student Ambassador and will be traveling to England, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland for twenty days during the summer 2010.  I feel honored that I was accepted because only forty high school and junior high students throughout Maine get to participate in this wonderful experience. During my trip, I will learn about the history, culture, and religion of the citizens of each country. I will meet government officials and practice the customs of the people of the different countries when I stay with a host family. Another thing that I will gain from this trip is friends that will last a lifetime.