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Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Polls 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center
08

Candidate for Bangor City Council · Nov. 3, 2026

Adam Baker

Answered our survey

Top priority: Affordability, so that everyone can afford to live in Bangor. BDN, Sept. 16

About Adam

Baker serves on Bangor's Advisory Committee on Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights, is a member of the Maine People's Alliance, a progressive advocacy group, and volunteers with Quality of Life Maine, which runs weekly cleanups and food and water distribution. BDN, Sept. 16BDN, Aug. 1LWV forum, Oct. 7

On the ballot as
Baker, Adam Douglas
Ballot position
8 of 12
Age
28
Work
Works in retail
Ties to Bangor
Lifelong Bangor resident; a renter
Party
Registered Democrat; does not feel strongly aligned with any party
Council meetings attended
Says about 90% of council meetings in the past year
Public record
Member of the city's Advisory Committee on Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights. Took part in the League of Women Voters candidate forum, Oct. 7, 2026.

Where Baker stands

Summaries of what the candidate has said publicly, in our words. Follow the source links for full context.

Homelessness

Supports housing first and calls housing a human right. Supports a regulated, sanctioned encampment as a first step and called Yellen Pines the right step. BDN, Sept. 16 1:46:41 6:23

Drug use and syringe programs

Supports syringe service programs, and says housing people is the main way to reduce needle litter and public drug use. BDN, Sept. 16 6:56

Public safety and policing

Wants police staffing raised by at least 20% and mental-health calls handled by mental-health providers instead of officers. LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:31:22

Housing and rent

Would make the city's optional rental registry mandatory, then pursue a rent freeze or rent control. Wants affordable and low-barrier housing. BDN, Sept. 16

Property taxes and the city budget

Wants to trim the budget where possible and argues investing in public services offsets other city costs. Would renegotiate contracts for city-owned assets such as the Cross Insurance Center. BDN, Sept. 16LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:10:56 9:45

Jobs, business and the economy

Wants longer bus hours, restored weekend bus service, and a livable wage for city staff. BDN, Sept. 16 1:32:55 1:59:48

How the council works

Wants less bickering among councilors and more open dialogue with residents. Would expand the public health department to coordinate service providers. BDN, Sept. 16 2:27:53 6:26

Data centers and license plate cameras

Opposes automatic license plate readers, such as Flock cameras. VoteBangor, Oct. 12

Key council decisions

The Bangor Daily News asked all 12 candidates how they would have voted on measures that came before the council in the past year; six are shown here. Answers are summarized in our words; the BDN's chart has their full comments.

Measure and outcomePosition
180-day pause on data center constructionPassed 9-0 in April 2026; later extended for another 180 days.Yes Favors stricter regulation of AI data centers. BDN, Oct. 7
Proposed 180-day ban on new syringe programs and treatment facilitiesRejected 2-3 in the Business and Economic Development Committee, June 2026.No Calls syringe programs a necessary service, with housing as the ultimate answer. BDN, Oct. 7
Funding for the public health department's homeless response coordinatorRequested by the public health department in the 2026 budget; the position was previously paid for with federal pandemic relief money.Yes Says the position has been doing good work. BDN, Oct. 7
Increased school budgetThe School Committee proposed a $65.8 million budget, up 5.6% from the year before.Yes Says investing in public schools is important. BDN, Oct. 7
Ordinance limiting how much city staff, including police, help federal immigration agents (ICE)Would have barred city employees from helping enforce federal civil immigration law. Failed 3-5 on June 22, 2026.Yes Says the ordinance would protect the Bangor community. BDN, Oct. 7
Tax reimbursement (TIF) for the Yellen Pines supportive housing projectApproved 6-3 in August 2026; a move to reconsider failed 7-2. The city reimburses 75% of the building's property taxes for 30 years. Residents are not required to be sober or in treatment: the developer has said some may use drugs in their apartments, with round-the-clock on-site staff from Preble Street there to encourage them not to. Residents sign a lease with rules, and continued rule-breaking or illegal drug use leads to eviction.Yes Strongly supports more supportive housing. BDN, Oct. 7

Other positions

Questions put to the candidates that were not council votes. "No position" means we found no public statement; we never infer one.

QuestionPosition
Rent control or a rent freezeYes Would make the rental registry mandatory, then pursue a rent freeze or rent control. BDN, Sept. 16BDN, Oct. 5

Voting record on the council

Not a sitting councilor, so there is no council voting record. "Key council decisions" above shows how the candidate says they would have voted.

In their own words

Word for word from each video's captions, with filler words (uh, um) and false starts taken out. [Brackets] mark our corrections of caption errors and ... marks words left out. Every candidate gets the same picks: from the Oct. 7 forum, an opening or closing statement and the answers on downtown policing and on property taxes; from the BDN video interviews, the answers on homelessness, syringes and city spending; and up to four remarks from 2026 City Council meeting videos (public comment, or remarks from the council table for a sitting councilor). Tap the time to hear it yourself. All candidates' quotes

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.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Why I'm running 55:36

I also agree that we need to broaden our tax base. That's either renegotiating our contracts, like for example our Cross Insurance Center or other city-owned business or assets.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Keeping seniors in their homes 2:10:56

I strongly believe that our police force is key to keeping our city safe. I would like to see their staff capacity be at least raised up 20%.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Downtown, homelessness and the police 2:31:22

I believe housing is a human right. So that's my basis of all my goals.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Homelessness 6:23

My ultimate be-all solution for helping these people, to help clean up the streets with needle waste or whatnot, is ultimately getting these people housed and then off the street.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Syringes 6:56

I believe we need rent control here in Bangor. I believe the first step is we have a rental registry... and then also either doing a rent freeze or rent control.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026City spending 10:31

I believe the city of Bangor should be strongly against these data centers... I would ask the council to reject any and all future data centers for AI.

Public comment, City Council, March 9, 2026Public comment on data centers 19:18

I am here with a lot of people to just call that you condemn what happened today in Biddeford with ICE. It is completely unacceptable and it's just racism.

Public comment, City Council, July 13, 2026Public comment on the ICE shooting in Biddeford 48:26

Winter is coming, and I think the first step to that is a sanctioned encampment. It's not the end-all answer. I think it's the first step to get these people in a place where we can give them resources.

Public comment, City Council, July 27, 2026Public comment on homelessness 30:55

I support this housing initiative... Nobody can get their life back on track if they don't have a roof over their head.

Public comment, City Council, Aug. 10, 2026Public hearing on Yellen Pines 28:12

Watch them answer

Links open YouTube at the moment the candidate starts answering. Our summaries are above; the video is their own words.

LWV forum, Oct. 7, 2026: League of Women Voters candidate forum, Bangor City Council

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 5, 2026: How City Council candidates say they'll reduce homelessness in Bangor

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 5, 2026: How Bangor City Council candidates say they'd work together as a team

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 5, 2026: What Bangor City Council candidates say they'd do to limit drug use and syringe litter

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 5, 2026: The changes City Council candidates say they'd make to Bangor's budget

Endorsements

Endorsements by groups and public figures, as reported in news coverage or listed on a candidate's own campaign website. Endorsements are listed for information only; VoteBangor does not endorse.

None reported in the coverage or campaign websites we reviewed.

Sources

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026.