Meet the 12 candidates for Bangor City Council

Listed in the order they appear on the ballot, which the city clerk drew by lot. City of Bangor

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• Ballot position 01

  Joe Leonard Incumbent

  Answered our survey 36 · Enrollment specialist at clean energy company Ampion I really think Bangor needs to move toward a mayor system and a ward system, and regardless of who gets elected, that's what I want to work toward.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Change Bangor's form of government by creating voting wards and an elected, full-time mayor with executive authority.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseNoSyringe program banYesRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseYesLimit city cooperation with ICEYesYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 02

  Michael Furrow

  67 · Retired from the military and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Number one problem facing [Bangor is] drugs. We have two sets of rules, one for the homeless, one for us. We do not have a lack of housing. We have a lack of high-paying jobs.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Address drug use, which Furrow sees as the root cause of homelessness and crime.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNoRent controlNoHomeless coordinatorNoSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 03

  Andrei Yermakov

  67 · Employed by the progressive Maine People's Alliance I support a housing first approach with wraparound services. 60% of Bangor are renters... I'd like to see a mandatory rental registry, some sort of rent control.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Community-building and reducing divisiveness in local politics.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseNoSyringe program banYesRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseYesLimit city cooperation with ICEYesYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 04

  Anthony Cote

  Answered our survey 43 · Owner of Maine Construction Solutions Enforcing the laws and ordinances is the biggest thing. I think if we were to enforce the laws and ordinances of Bangor, the same with everybody, that it would solve 90% of our problems.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Make Bangor more business-friendly and rebuild the local economy.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNoRent controlUndecidedHomeless coordinatorUndecidedSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: Concerned Citizens of Bangor (political action committee)

• Ballot position 05

  James Gallagher

  Answered our survey 38 · Owner of Bangin' Whoopie, a downtown bakery I believe the best is yet to come, but we're never going to get there if we stay in our own corners pointing pitchforks at each other.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: "Fix the broken system," with the council taking more ownership of city problems.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNoRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 06

  Terry Dinkins

  Answered our survey 65 · Pastor of Mansion Church I have a lot of compassion. I've been working with the homeless for over 15 years, but I'm at the point now that you have to keep them accountable. And I think that the police do need to enforce the laws, and it should be the same for all of us as citizens.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Get people off the streets, with resources for people with mental illness.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNoRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: Concerned Citizens of Bangor (political action committee)

• Ballot position 07

  Joseph Pratt

  Answered our survey 63 · Head of the wealth management group at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust I don't expect that the Bangor city council is going to solve homelessness... But I think if we reach out to some of those communities that apparently have done an effective job... we may have some improvement here.BDN interview, Oct. 5 Top priority: Restore civility and decorum to how the council functions.
  Where they stand

  NoData center pauseNoSyringe program banNoRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: Concerned Citizens of Bangor (political action committee); Frank Bragg, board president, Bangor Public Library; Brad Coffey, board member, Maine Planned Giving Council; Rick Fournier, Bangor Public Library Finance Committee member and former Bangor City Council chair; Nichi Farnham, vice president, Bangor Mechanic Association, and former Bangor City Council chair; Dennis Marble, past executive director, Bangor Area Homeless Shelter

• Ballot position 08

  Adam Baker

  Answered our survey 28 · Works in retail Housing is a human right, and I want housing first as a model to address the root cause, a lack of affordable housing. You can't recover without a roof over your head.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Affordability, so that everyone can afford to live in Bangor.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseNoSyringe program banYesRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseYesLimit city cooperation with ICEYesYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 09

  Dawson Nevells

  Answered our survey 20 · University of Maine political science student Bangor doesn't need a city council divided into factions. We don't need an echo chamber and we don't need another battlefield. We need people who are willing to ask difficult questions, disagree respectfully, and sit down together to get things done.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: A regional council so Bangor and neighboring towns tackle homelessness together.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banYesRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 10

  Katherine Devine

  21 · Nanny I would pursue a policy that allows people to go into a mental health care facility and get the help that they need in order to stand up on their feet.BDN interview, Oct. 5 Top priority: Rethink how the city handles drugs and homelessness.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNo positionRent controlUndecidedHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 11

  Jennifer McGinley Maskala

  Programs director, Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine People across Bangor are being asked to do more with less. City Hall should be expected to do the same... Spend less, do more, and show residents the results.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: "Spend less, do more": get the council back to basics such as aging sewers and school buildings.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseYesSyringe program banNo positionRent controlUndecidedHomeless coordinatorNoSchool budget increaseNoLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

• Ballot position 12

  John King

  Answered our survey 43 · Ph.D. student in business Starting with the redundancies in our budget and finding out if we're paying for the same thing in two different locations... We can take that savings and reinvest it to our senior citizens.LWV forum, Oct. 7 Top priority: Fiscal responsibility: find and cut duplicated spending.
  Where they stand

  YesData center pauseNoSyringe program banYesRent controlYesHomeless coordinatorYesSchool budget increaseYesLimit city cooperation with ICENoYellen Pines tax deal

  Endorsements: None reported

Latest in the race

1. Friday, Oct. 9A new political action committee, Concerned Citizens of Bangor, endorsed Anthony Cote, Terry Dinkins and Joseph Pratt and reported raising more than $20,000 in under two weeks. Separately, former gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Bush said his nonprofit, Maine for Keeps, plans to spend $100,000 across the Bangor, Lewiston and Waterville council races; the nonprofit cannot endorse candidates. Council candidates in Bangor usually raise a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. BDN, Oct. 9
2. Wednesday, Oct. 7The Bangor Daily News published how all 12 candidates say they would have voted on seven recent council decisions. See the full table on our compare page. BDN, Oct. 7
3. Wednesday, Oct. 7The League of Women Voters held its candidate forum at Bangor High School. Eleven of the 12 candidates took part; Katherine Devine did not attend. The full recording is online, and candidates' answers are now included in their profiles. LWV forum, Oct. 7

• HomelessnessHow should Bangor respond to homelessness?
• Drug use and syringe programsWhat should the city do about public drug use and needle litter?
• Public safety and policingWhat should the police do downtown and with homelessness, and who should handle mental-health calls?
• Housing and rentDoes Bangor need more housing, and should the city act on rents?
• Property taxes and the city budgetHow should the city handle rising property taxes and spending?
• Jobs, business and the economyHow should Bangor grow jobs and keep young people?
• How the council worksHow should the council run itself and talk with residents?
• Data centers and license plate camerasShould Bangor allow data centers and automatic license plate readers?