LEWISTON, Maine – Republican gubernatorial candidate David Jones will be in Lewiston on Saturday for a volunteer cleanup event aimed at addressing visible trash and debris in the city.
Jones’ campaign is partnering with The Rubbish Doctor, a Lewiston-based junk removal company, for what he described as a voluntary community cleanup effort. The Town Farm out of Polland, will also be in attendance.
“As you may have gathered by now, I’m not exactly one to sit on the sidelines,” Jones said in a campaign announcement. “You’ve seen the photos of Lewiston. You’ve seen the problem. I’m sick of just talking about this, let’s do something about it.”
The cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The campaign said additional details, including the exact location, will be released to volunteers who sign up through an online Google Form.
In a statement to The Maine Wire, Jones said he spends a significant amount of time in Lewiston and believes the city has failed to respond to problems that residents see every day.
“I spend a lot of time in Lewiston,” Jones told The Maine Wire. “As I go around, I have seen many things that should be easy to eliminate however the City does nothing to remedy.”
Jones said residents are frustrated by the condition of parts of the city and argued that his campaign decided to act rather than simply criticize the problem.
“I know the residents are tired of the needles, trash and encampments and we decided to do something about it,” Jones said.
“I hope our effort brings attention to these problems and residents force the city to Make Lewiston Clean and Safe Again!!!” he added.
The event comes as public frustration over conditions in parts of Lewiston has continued to grow, with residents and local observers raising concerns about trash, public safety, and the overall state of the city.
For Jones, the cleanup event gives his campaign a chance to turn criticism into action, while also highlighting a message that has become central to his run for governor: community problems should be confronted directly, not ignored.
Supporters and community members interested in participating have been directed to register through the campaign’s online form.
Love this idea! Kudos David Jones for taking a hands-on approach to the problem, very commendable! Ideas like this energize the community, there are many people who would eagerly volunteer. Will the Mayor participate in this event? Inquiring minds want to know. If he is really “fighting” to support ALL citizens, he will role up his sleeves and pitch in. Granted it isn’t a Democratic idea, but it is a good one nonetheless, and worthy of his support.
Will these events continue every weekend?
One day of attention won’t dissolve the many layers of scum that is Lewiston.
Screw that. Let the junkies clean it up; instead of this mam bee pam bee coddling counseling crap knit into this broken window “state” economy.
It’s interesting that conservative candidates are focused on problems in Lewiston, even though other cities and towns in Maine have higher crime rates. There is an effort being made to blame legal Somali immigrants for many of our problems, even though in 2024 Bangor had the highest crime rate in the state and a 2025 report of the most dangerous cities in Maine started with Augusta, and Lewiston was not even in the top ten.