City Hall·Bangor May 19th - City Council Candidate Forum
Five candidates vie for vacant Bangor City Council seat at League of Women Voters forum
The League of Women Voters of Maine hosted a candidate forum for five people running for an open Bangor City Council seat, with the term running through November 2023. Candidates gave opening statements and answered questions on housing, homelessness, the opioid epidemic, public transit, and the city's carbon footprint. The special election is set for June 14.
Key points
- Five candidates are running: Stephen Bro, Michael Mayberry, Joseph Leonard, Daniel Smith, and Tyler Rowe, for a seat left vacant by the death of Councilor Sarah Dubay.
- On the city's most pressing problem, candidates split between affordable housing (Rowe, Mayberry, Leonard) and inflation and the cost of living (Smith), while Mayberry also cited the need for a new county correctional facility.
- Asked whether the city must provide safe housing for all homeless residents, all candidates agreed there is a moral obligation but differed on solutions, with Rowe proposing a "Building a Better Bangor" program using $20 million in federal relief funds for housing grants.
- On the opioid epidemic, Smith said current efforts are not working, Mayberry called for stronger penalties for out-of-state drug sellers and a new treatment-capable correctional facility, and Rowe and Leonard tied the crisis to jobs, housing, and economic opportunity.
- On night and weekend Community Connector service, candidates broadly supported expansion; Mayberry said he would oppose eliminating flag stops, and Leonard and Rowe proposed a city smartphone app to promote transit.
- On reducing the city's carbon footprint, candidates discussed rooftop solar on city and school buildings and grants to cut fossil fuel use, noting the costs involved.
Next steps
- The special election for the council seat is scheduled for June 14.
- Candidate headshots were to be posted on the League's Facebook page the day after the forum.
- The forum was broadcast on the city's Facebook page and cable television network.
Where this came from
City of Bangor YouTube
The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.
Watch the meeting ↗The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.