Compare Bangor City Council candidates
Pick up to three candidates to see their positions side by side. You can vote for up to three on Nov. 3.
| Issue | Joe Leonard | Michael Furrow | Andrei Yermakov | Anthony Cote | James Gallagher | Terry Dinkins | Joseph Pratt | Adam Baker | Dawson Nevells | Katherine Devine | Jennifer McGinley Maskala | John King |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top priority | Change Bangor's form of government by creating voting wards and an elected, full-time mayor with executive authority. | Address drug use, which Furrow sees as the root cause of homelessness and crime. | Community-building and reducing divisiveness in local politics. | Make Bangor more business-friendly and rebuild the local economy. | "Fix the broken system," with the council taking more ownership of city problems. | Get people off the streets, with resources for people with mental illness. | Restore civility and decorum to how the council functions. | Affordability, so that everyone can afford to live in Bangor. | A regional council so Bangor and neighboring towns tackle homelessness together. | Rethink how the city handles drugs and homelessness. | "Spend less, do more": get the council back to basics such as aging sewers and school buildings. | Fiscal responsibility: find and cut duplicated spending. |
| Background | 36 · Enrollment specialist at clean energy company Ampion Democrat | 67 · Retired from the military and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Declined to say | 67 · Employed by the progressive Maine People's Alliance Registered Democrat | 43 · Owner of Maine Construction Solutions Declined to say; describes himself as a centrist | 38 · Owner of Bangin' Whoopie, a downtown bakery Unenrolled | 65 · Pastor of Mansion Church Unenrolled | 63 · Head of the wealth management group at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust Republican | 28 · Works in retail Registered Democrat; does not feel strongly aligned with any party | 20 · University of Maine political science student Registered Democrat; describes himself as independent-minded | 21 · Nanny Declined to say to the BDN; told a podcaster she is a Republican | Programs director, Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Declined to say | 43 · Ph.D. student in business Moderate Democrat |
| Homelessness | Wants more regional and state collaboration. Supported the Yellen Pines tax agreement, arguing it saves money given public safety and emergency costs tied to homelessness. BDN, Sept. 30 Watch at 1:35:39 Watch at 0:08 | Says drug use drives homelessness. Would expand Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center and have judges refer people there for involuntary treatment, redirecting supportive housing money. Says housing-first approaches do not work. Favors treatment first over housing first. BDN, Oct. 2LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:43:18 Watch at 1:29 | Supports Yellen Pines, calling it imperfect but a good start. Wants public discussion of homeless residents to be more humane. BDN, Sept. 25 Watch at 1:40:31 Watch at 1:58 | Wants to review the police homelessness protocol, which offers services before citing or arresting people for certain offenses. BDN, Sept. 22 Watch at 1:45:14 Watch at 3:18 | 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 Watch at 1:42:05 Watch at 4:26 | Top priority. Wants more resources, especially for people with mental illness, including more treatment beds at Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, with accountability alongside compassion. BDN, Sept. 20 Watch at 1:44:20 Watch at 5:22 | Says city leaders should learn from cities that reduced homelessness, such as Houston, Denver and Baltimore. Opposes Yellen Pines and would fund existing local organizations instead. BDN, Sept. 18 Watch at 1:39:19 Watch at 5:48 | 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 Watch at 1:46:41 Watch at 6:23 | 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 Watch at 1:38:12 Watch at 6:40 | Says the city has lost sight of genuine care and that real help is not a handout. Would redirect money now spent on housing programs toward mental health care, including staffing and more beds at Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center. BDN, Sept. 23Fox Bangor Watch at 7:25 | Wants the city to reexamine the Yellen Pines development, calling its 30-year tax reimbursement a major commitment. Wants to work with city staff to understand what services homeless residents want and need. Wants written funding commitments from regional and state partners so Bangor taxpayers do not carry the cost alone. BDN, Sept. 24BDN, Oct. 5LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:36:53 Watch at 7:51 | Wants neighboring towns to help fund regional homelessness resources, and yearly reports from shelters, syringe providers and recovery groups on where people come from. Suggests reaching out to cities that have made progress on homelessness. BDN, Sept. 29Fox Bangor Watch at 1:34:02 Watch at 8:42 |
| Drug use and syringe programs | Opposes new restrictions on syringe service providers. Wants more syringe disposal boxes around the city to address needle litter. BDN, Sept. 30 Watch at 0:05 | Would ban syringe exchange programs. Has proposed labeling needles and fining agencies whose syringes are found littered. BDN, Oct. 2 Watch at 0:40 | Supports needle exchange programs, citing the county's HIV outbreak, and wants more sharps disposal containers. BDN, Sept. 25 Watch at 1:17 | Wants a lower limit on how many syringes a person can get from an exchange and says distribution enables addiction. Wants syringe litter cleaned up. Calls the current exchange limits, which he described as 100 to one, too aggressive. BDN, Sept. 22BDN, Oct. 5 Watch at 2:44 | 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 Watch at 3:48 | Wants syringe distribution cut drastically. Would prefer to end it but would accept a one-for-one exchange. Wants people using drugs in public held accountable, leaving it to police whether that means a summons or arrest. BDN, Sept. 20BDN, Oct. 5 Watch at 4:31 | Would not have backed the proposed ban on new syringe programs. Wants programs to show community benefit and the city to track HIV rates, overdoses and needle litter. BDN, Sept. 18 Watch at 5:40 | Supports syringe service programs, and says housing people is the main way to reduce needle litter and public drug use. BDN, Sept. 16 Watch at 6:56 | Wants a one-for-one syringe exchange rule restored and more regulation of providers. BDN, Sept. 17 Watch at 7:18 | Sees syringe exchanges as handouts that should be further restricted. Wants programs focused on accountability and recovery. Would put more opioid settlement money into mental health care such as Dorothea Dix, including sober housing stays of a week or more. BDN, Sept. 23BDN, Oct. 5 Watch at 8:19 | Would require syringe providers to label each needle and fine providers when littered syringes are traced to them. BDN, Sept. 24 Watch at 10:10 | Supports well-run syringe programs with more accountability. Favors gradual per-person exchange limits over a strict one-for-one rule, and wants providers to patrol for litter. BDN, Sept. 29 Watch at 11:24 |
| Public safety and policing | Says police work is not social work, with about half of officers' time going to poverty-related calls. Would invest in health and human services and turn the Street Plus program into a city-run ambassador program. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:38:05 | Says there cannot be two sets of laws, one for homeless people and one for taxpayers; police must enforce all laws and ordinances without exception. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:35:37 | Praises the Bangor Police Department and says officers should not be doing social work; wants a social-services liaison to take those calls. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:42:28 | Running on "law and order." Says enforcing laws and ordinances equally for everyone would solve most problems; wants police and the sheriff's office to work together and more county jail capacity. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:33:16 | 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 Watch at 2:36:14 | Wants police to enforce laws equally and hold homeless residents accountable. Suggests borrowing sheriff's deputies or Brewer officers while Bangor police are about 20% short. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:34:24 | Says police enforce the law as the council directs, under the homeless crisis protocol the council chose to adopt in 2024; the council must change that policy for enforcement to change. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:41:21 | Wants police staffing raised by at least 20% and mental-health calls handled by mental-health providers instead of officers. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:31:22 | Wants the police department fully staffed, existing ordinances enforced, and new ones written where gaps exist. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:40:13 | No public position found | Wants clear standards enforced against theft, assault and drug dealing, saying hardship does not excuse harming others. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:39:25 | Wants more officers, and says police should have discretion to enforce ordinances or offer services. Would expand downtown's two-person night outreach crew. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:36:58 |
| Housing and rent | Wants the city to invest in housing. BDN, Sept. 30 | Opposes building new low-income housing and disputes the city-commissioned study's finding of a 700-unit housing gap. Opposes Yellen Pines. Says Bangor lacks high-paying jobs, not housing. BDN, Oct. 2LWV forum, Oct. 7 | Favors a rent freeze, which he says would encourage people to stay in or move to Bangor. Says young people worry they cannot afford housing in Bangor even with a job, and wants the council to work more closely with the school board and local businesses. At the forum, backed a mandatory rental registry and some form of rent control. BDN, Sept. 25Fox Bangor, Sept. 18LWV forum, Oct. 7 | Questions why new apartments are going up in neighboring Levant rather than Bangor, and says the city should work with local businesses and become more welcoming to builders. Fox Bangor, Sept. 18 | 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 | Likes the idea of Yellen Pines but would not have supported it at its $11 million cost. Says Bangor does not have enough housing and needs more units. His church has run an overnight warming center for six years. Wants infrastructure funded so planned projects, such as 300 apartments on Stillwater Avenue and 200 condos at the Bangor Mall, can go ahead. BDN, Sept. 20Fox BangorLWV forum, Oct. 7 | Opposes the Yellen Pines development. BDN, Sept. 18 | 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 | Likes the Yellen Pines concept but would not have backed the tax reimbursement because of its cost. BDN, Sept. 17 | Opposes Yellen Pines, saying it would not truly help without sobriety or employment requirements. BDN, Sept. 23 | Links housing to affordability, saying property tax reassessments are straining residents on fixed incomes who want to stay in the city. Would speed workforce housing with predictable zoning, pre-approved designs and faster permits. Fox Bangor, Sept. 18LWV forum, Oct. 7 | Supports the idea of supportive housing like Yellen Pines but says the council should have set conditions before voting. BDN, Sept. 29 |
| Property taxes and the city budget | Called the June 2026 budget the strongest in years, citing new positions including eight firefighters. Wants more positions and new revenue such as enterprise funds. Says he would not cut city services without a full public discussion of what would be lost. Points residents to existing city hardship tax abatements, and says the economy is in a recession. BDN, Sept. 30BDN, Oct. 5LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:16:53 Watch at 0:05 | Supports tax breaks for businesses and would prioritize heating assistance and property tax relief for older residents. Would eliminate the city public health department and have the state provide those services. Would tax nonprofits to broaden the tax base, and opposes tax deals like the one for Yellen Pines. BDN, Oct. 2LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:19:57 Watch at 2:17 | Favors a property tax freeze and wants the city website to point residents to state tax relief programs. Would not cut city services just to lower taxes. BDN, Sept. 25LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:12:08 Watch at 3:11 | Would cut nonessential spending and focus on police, fire and core services. Opposes funding nonprofits through tax increases and worries rising taxes push older homeowners out. BDN, Sept. 22 Watch at 2:09:57 Watch at 5:11 | 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 Watch at 2:19:15 Watch at 6:08 | Aims to stop tax increases and possibly cut taxes, though unsure where cuts would come from. Wants a line-by-line audit of the $145 million city budget. BDN, Sept. 20LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:08:24 Watch at 7:46 | Concerned about rising property taxes. Would broaden the tax base, citing residency, excise and local sales taxes as options. For seniors, floated a property tax freeze or elimination at age 70 and a larger homestead exemption (which would need state action), saying the numbers would need study. BDN, Sept. 18LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:13:16 Watch at 8:33 | 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 Watch at 2:10:56 Watch at 9:45 | 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 Watch at 2:14:35 Watch at 10:51 | Warns that programs now paid for with opioid settlement money could push property taxes up when that money runs out, and wants spending cut on programs she says are not working. BDN, Oct. 5 Watch at 11:36 | Wants spending cuts to ease property taxes, especially for people on fixed incomes. Cites the Pickering Square renovation as nonessential spending. Proposes a property tax freeze for homeowners 65 and older who have been in their home five years. BDN, Sept. 24LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 2:15:38 Watch at 12:09 | Would look for duplication, such as combining two public health homelessness positions, and return savings as an income-based tax incentive. Says the 75% Yellen Pines reimbursement is too high. BDN, Sept. 29 Watch at 2:18:02 Watch at 13:45 |
| Jobs, business and the economy | Interested in new city revenue sources and in exploring municipally controlled energy. Wants to turn the Street Plus program into an in-house downtown ambassador program. Wants an airport commission and more investment in the Community Connector bus. BDN, Sept. 30LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:25:54 Watch at 2:05:45 | Wants the city to attract jobs and industry so young people stay. Wants overlapping nonprofit services reviewed and cut. BDN, Oct. 2Fox Bangor, Sept. 22 Watch at 1:29:27 Watch at 2:02:50 | Proposes high school apprenticeships, a work commitment for city-funded bus driver training, and partnerships with medical institutions to keep workers. Proposes a "BangCorps" trade apprenticeship program with Job Corps. BDN, Sept. 25LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:20:10 Watch at 1:58:50 | Top priority is a business-friendly Bangor with simpler permitting, and a larger tax base to keep property taxes from rising. Says developers build in Levant and Hermon instead of Bangor because of the city's zoning, permitting and energy codes. BDN, Sept. 22LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:31:47 Watch at 2:00:41 | 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 Watch at 1:28:34 Watch at 2:03:40 | No public position found | Supports tax incentives for for-profit employers that create jobs, offered as readily as to nonprofits. Wants to attract businesses and young families. BDN, Sept. 18Fox Bangor, Sept. 22 Watch at 1:21:45 Watch at 1:57:41 | Wants longer bus hours, restored weekend bus service, and a livable wage for city staff. BDN, Sept. 16 Watch at 1:32:55 Watch at 1:59:48 | No public position found | Wants to cut construction red tape so more buildings can be renovated into apartments. BDN, Oct. 5 | Wants to recruit air cargo, logistics and cold-storage businesses to the airport. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:24:36 Watch at 2:06:59 | Wants faster sewer upgrades, rezoning to bring in companies, and housing so people who work in Bangor can live there. LWV forum, Oct. 7 Watch at 1:27:10 Watch at 2:04:45 |
| How the council works | Top priority is voting wards and an elected, full-time mayor with executive authority, which Leonard says would improve representation and speed up decisions. BDN, Sept. 30 Watch at 2:22:41 Watch at 0:05 | Says the council should be run like a business and that political activism does not belong on the council. BDN, Oct. 2 Watch at 2:30:37 Watch at 1:25 | Wants regular office-hours meetings at local businesses, one-on-one meetings with councilors, and more community events posted online. BDN, Sept. 25 Watch at 2:27:09 Watch at 1:57 | Says the current council has wasted considerable time. BDN, Sept. 22 Watch at 2:28:47 Watch at 3:42 | Wants longer City Hall hours with more clerk staff, and a more active, easier-to-use city website and Facebook page. BDN, Sept. 26 Watch at 2:21:05 Watch at 4:00 | Wants an open period before meetings where residents can talk informally with councilors. BDN, Sept. 20 Watch at 2:29:44 Watch at 4:49 | Top priority is civility and better communication. Wants the city to share information directly and says the council should have sought more input on the Ohio Street reclassification. BDN, Sept. 18 Watch at 2:26:01 Watch at 5:29 | Wants less bickering among councilors and more open dialogue with residents. Would expand the public health department to coordinate service providers. BDN, Sept. 16 Watch at 2:27:53 Watch at 6:26 | Wants voting student representatives on the council and School Committee, and plans weekly social media posts explaining his votes. BDN, Sept. 17 Watch at 2:24:53 Watch at 6:58 | Says State House experience would help calm tensions and rebuild trust, and that she values compromise. BDN, Sept. 23 Watch at 7:34 | Promises an open-door policy and says residents feel unheard. Wants the council focused on basic services. BDN, Sept. 24 Watch at 2:23:56 Watch at 8:32 | Says the council does not apply the same standards to all members, and calls for more compassion and teamwork. BDN, Sept. 29 Watch at 2:21:53 Watch at 9:52 |
| Data centers and license plate cameras | Supports banning automatic license plate readers and says he and colleagues are working on an ordinance to do so. BDN, Sept. 30 | Would make the temporary data center ban permanent and ban automatic license plate readers such as Flock cameras. BDN, Oct. 2 | Plans to propose banning automatic license plate readers, citing surveillance concerns. BDN, Sept. 25 | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Opposes automatic license plate readers, such as Flock cameras. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 | No public position found | No public position found | Backs the temporary data center ban but thinks data centers deserve consideration for the jobs they could bring. BDN, Sept. 24 | No public position found |
| Rent control or a rent freeze | Yes Supports rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 13 | No Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 | Yes Favors a rent freeze. BDN, Sept. 25 | No Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 10 | No Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 13 | No Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 | No Opposes rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 | Yes Would make the rental registry mandatory, then pursue a rent freeze or rent control. BDN, Sept. 16BDN, Oct. 5 | Yes Supports rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 | No public position found | No public position found | Yes Supports rent control. VoteBangor, Oct. 12 |
| Endorsements | None reported | None reported | None reported | Concerned Citizens of Bangor (political action committee) | None reported | Concerned Citizens of Bangor (political action committee) | 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 | None reported | None reported | None reported | None reported | None reported |
Six key council decisions
How each candidate told the Bangor Daily News they would have voted. Each candidate's profile gives their reasons; the BDN's chart has their full comments. BDN, Oct. 7
| Candidate | Data center pause | Syringe program ban | Homeless coordinator | School budget increase | Limit city cooperation with ICE | Yellen Pines tax deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Leonard | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Michael Furrow | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Andrei Yermakov | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Anthony Cote | Yes | Yes | Undecided | Undecided | No | No |
| James Gallagher | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Terry Dinkins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Joseph Pratt | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Adam Baker | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dawson Nevells | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Katherine Devine | Yes | Yes | Undecided | Yes | No | No |
| Jennifer McGinley Maskala | Yes | Yes | Undecided | No | No | No |
| John King | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
- 180-day pause on data center construction. Passed 9-0 in April 2026; later extended for another 180 days. WABI, April 14BDN, Oct. 7
- Proposed 180-day ban on new syringe programs and treatment facilities. Rejected 2-3 in the Business and Economic Development Committee, June 2026. BDN, June 1BDN, Oct. 7
- Funding for the public health department's homeless response coordinator. Requested by the public health department in the 2026 budget; the position was previously paid for with federal pandemic relief money. BDN, Oct. 7
- Increased school budget. The School Committee proposed a $65.8 million budget, up 5.6% from the year before. 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. BDN, Oct. 7BDN, June 23City of Bangor, June 22
- Tax reimbursement (TIF) for the Yellen Pines supportive housing project. Approved 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. BDN, Aug. 12BDN, Aug. 17BDN, Sept. 8BDN, Oct. 7