According to the Sept. 16 Wall Street Journal, Portland, Maine, is one of four hot real estate markets in the country.

Auburn is 36 miles away. Why Mayor Jason Levesque refuses to capitalize on the proximity to Portland rather than dragging Auburn’s image down with labels like “blue collar utopia” defies economic sense.

Auburn is named after the subject in English poet Oliver Goldsmith’s poem, “The Deserted Village.” Early settlers felt that Auburn fit the description, “Sweet Auburn, loveliest of the plains.” But Auburn is about to become very unlovely.

The city, always known for its lake and verdant landscape, is threatened by developers who want to capitalize on the city’s assets, get rich and leave the place in ruins.

Mayor Levesque and the City Council allocated an extra $50,000 (minus Rick Whiting and Belinda Gerry) for legal fees in the city budget to pay for Portland attorneys to fight for the disastrous zoning change they are pushing through against the citizens’ wishes and petition. We, the taxpayers, are bankrolling the devaluation of our property.

Goldsmith’s poem goes on, “Sweet Auburn … thy glades forlorn confess the tyrant’s power.”

Prophetic.

Pamela Larouche, Auburn