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Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Polls 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center
09

Candidate for Bangor City Council · Nov. 3, 2026

Dawson Nevells

Answered our survey

Top priority: A regional council so Bangor and neighboring towns tackle homelessness together. BDN, Sept. 17

About Dawson

Nevells is the youngest candidate in the race. As a Bangor High School senior he ran for School Committee in 2024 and lost. BDN, Sept. 17LWV forum, Oct. 7

On the ballot as
Nevells, Dawson Brady
Ballot position
9 of 12
Age
20
Work
University of Maine political science student
Ties to Bangor
Has lived in Bangor for nearly 10 years
Party
Registered Democrat; describes himself as independent-minded
Council meetings attended
Six to eight meetings in person in the past year; watches the rest online
Public record
Ran for Bangor School Committee in 2024. Took part in the League of Women Voters candidate forum, Oct. 7, 2026.

Where Nevells stands

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

Homelessness

Proposes a regional service center run with neighboring towns, modeled on Haven for Hope in San Antonio and likely funded by a bond. Says such centers, offering housing, medical care and food in one place, would cost more up front but save on jail stays and emergency room visits. BDN, Sept. 17Fox Bangor, Sept. 14 1:38:12 6:40

Drug use and syringe programs

Wants a one-for-one syringe exchange rule restored and more regulation of providers. BDN, Sept. 17 7:18

Public safety and policing

Wants the police department fully staffed, existing ordinances enforced, and new ones written where gaps exist. LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:40:13

Housing and rent

Likes the Yellen Pines concept but would not have backed the tax reimbursement because of its cost. BDN, Sept. 17

Property taxes and the city budget

Concerned about rising property taxes for seniors. Would look for cuts while noting that services cost money. Proposes a property tax freeze for homeowners 65 and older who have lived in Bangor 25 years or more, ending when the owner moves or dies. BDN, Sept. 17LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:14:35 10:51

Jobs, business and the economy

No public position found in the sources we reviewed.

How the council works

Wants voting student representatives on the council and School Committee, and plans weekly social media posts explaining his votes. BDN, Sept. 17 2:24:53 6:58

Data centers and license plate cameras

No public position found in the sources we reviewed.

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 Says data centers take up resources and space. 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.Yes Unsure syringe programs are the right answer; would consider a one-to-one exchange rule. 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 Probably would have supported it. BDN, Oct. 7
Increased school budgetThe School Committee proposed a $65.8 million budget, up 5.6% from the year before.Yes If money is spent carefully; says maintenance can no longer be deferred and is open to consolidation. 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.No Would have voted no. VoteBangor, Oct. 12
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.No Supports the idea but says it costs too much. 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 Supports rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12

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

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.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Why I'm running 1:12:42

In the short term, we do need to start looking at a tax-freeze ordinance for our seniors... It's not a permanent freeze for that home. It's just a permanent freeze for that homeowner.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Keeping seniors in their homes 2:14:35

We need to be enforcing ordinances already on the books, and where there are gaps, we need to be creating those ordinances that bring back some form of [law and order] to Bangor.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Downtown, homelessness and the police 2:40:13

We need to be focusing on Bangor first, but homelessness is a regional issue. It's going to take all of us coming together to solve that problem.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Homelessness 6:40

I think getting back to a one-on-one exchange, as we talked about, might be the right solution. And I know we also talked about the moratorium on needles that I would support.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Syringes 7:18

I would definitely be interested in looking at areas where we can cut taxes. I do think that residents also have to realize... that we can't get things done for free.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026City spending 10:51

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.