VoteBangor Powered by MaineScanner
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Polls 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center
05

Candidate for Bangor City Council · Nov. 3, 2026

James Gallagher

Answered our survey

Top priority: "Fix the broken system," with the council taking more ownership of city problems. BDN, Sept. 26

About James

Gallagher has run a downtown business for about six years. This is his second council run; he was the runner-up in 2025, about 300 votes short of a seat. BDN, Sept. 26LWV forum, Oct. 7

On the ballot as
Gallagher, James T.
Ballot position
5 of 12
Age
38
Work
Owner of Bangin' Whoopie, a downtown bakery
Ties to Bangor
Lifelong Bangor resident
Party
Unenrolled
Council meetings attended
Says he attended quite a few meetings this year and watched the rest online
Public record
Ran for City Council in 2025. Took part in the League of Women Voters candidate forum, Oct. 7, 2026.

Where Gallagher stands

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

Homelessness

Wants the council to declare a state of emergency and work with nonprofits. Proposes temporary emergency shelters in large spaces such as the Bangor Mall, the Cross Insurance Center and school gyms. Would pay for the response with leftover opioid settlement money and unspent federal pandemic relief funds. BDN, Sept. 26BDN, Oct. 5 1:42:05 4:26

Drug use and syringe programs

Would have supported a pause on new syringe programs but does not want existing programs closed, citing the HIV outbreak and hepatitis C. BDN, Sept. 26 3:48

Public safety and policing

Praises police response downtown. Wants businesses to have a direct line to BCAT, the city's crisis team, instead of calling police. LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:36:14

Housing and rent

Would not have supported the Yellen Pines tax deal as approved, citing concern about drug and alcohol use in apartments. Wants support services open to all residents. BDN, Sept. 26

Property taxes and the city budget

Wants to cut unnecessary spending and favors community fundraising for city services over tax increases. Would better publicize programs such as federal community development (CDBG) grants that help seniors with bills and home repairs. BDN, Sept. 26LWV forum, Oct. 7 2:19:15 6:08

Jobs, business and the economy

Wants to extend the vacant property ordinance to penalize vacant commercial buildings. Wants downtown tax-district (TIF) money allocated better. BDN, Sept. 26LWV forum, Oct. 7 1:28:34 2:03:40

How the council works

Wants longer City Hall hours with more clerk staff, and a more active, easier-to-use city website and Facebook page. BDN, Sept. 26 2:21:05 4:00

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 residents do not want a data center. 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 Would keep existing programs, citing the HIV outbreak; open to a one-for-one rule after hearing from experts. 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 Supports keeping the homeless response coordinator. VoteBangor, Oct. 13
Increased school budgetThe School Committee proposed a $65.8 million budget, up 5.6% from the year before.Yes Supports the school budget increase. VoteBangor, Oct. 13
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 Supports the city's early adoption of the similar state law, but trusts police are not working with ICE. 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.No Supports wraparound services but objects to drug and alcohol use on site; wanted conditions set first. 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 freezeNo Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 13

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

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.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Why I'm running 1:04:14

We need to increase the tax base through events and development. I think that can help keep taxes where they are, and I would love to see even lowering them if we can bring in more revenue.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Keeping seniors in their homes 2:19:15

I didn't know downtown needed to be recovered. I open for business every day... It would be nice if business owners... had a direct line to BCAT ourselves, because we don't need to call the police and dispatch every time.

League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 7, 2026Downtown, homelessness and the police 2:36:14

Homelessness and drug use that we see are a result of the broken system. So, we need to fix the broken system. And the broken system is us. All of us.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Syringes 3:48

For starters, I would declare a state of emergency for the homelessness in Bangor.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026Homelessness 4:26

As a business owner, we cut cost every day. And what I learned years ago is fail fast, fail cheap. And I feel like the city doesn't do a good job of failing fast or cheap.

BDN video interview, Oct. 5, 2026City spending 6:08

I'm again asking this council to declare a state of emergency surrounding homelessness in Bangor... People are dying, and I'm tired of watching money pour into this crisis while people continue to suffer.

Public comment, City Council, Sept. 14, 2026Public comment on homelessness 1:02:26

Hey Bangor, we have a problem. And I'm not talking about just one department, nonprofit, neighborhood, or one group of people. I'm talking about the broken system.

Public comment, City Council, Sept. 28, 2026Public comment on city services 11:32

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: What Bangor City Council candidates say they'd do to limit drug use and syringe litter

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: How City Council candidates say they'll reduce homelessness in Bangor

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. 13, 2026.