Ed Barrett is a class act serving at the pleasure of a classless council. Hopefully he will find something someplace where he is appreciated.

Conversely, the slim majority of pig-headed councilors demonstrates that Bangor needs a house cleaning.

I am embarrassed to be represented by these defensive dumbbells

As a resident of Lewiston, I hope our own classless council, all of whom have been voted out of office and are lame ducks, hire Ed Barrett, who is a finalist for the City Administrator's job in this City.

Ed Barrett - You can leave anytime - The sooner Bangor gets rid of you - The more money we can save - Don't let the door hit you in your as -

I'll be darned there is hope for bangor,

"Blanchette stressed to residents that there was no hidden agenda behind Barrett’s retirement, nor did the decision represent any shortcomings he might have.

“He’s as honest as the day is long,” she said." What about the night part of Mr Barrett,( that comment would suggest he's half honest which I don't think that can happen some one being half":) the council for once in it's history is right they hit the nail on the head

Now as the plot thickens what is the reason for this AGENDA hidden or other wise

Now may we all kneel and pray for poor Lewiston :)

Good Luck Eddie (not)

Typical politicians. Suppose the city council figured out that they make the decisions and the city manager is simply the messenger who carries out THEIR decisions? Apparently not. Next election we need to put these tin heads on a rail and tell them, 'don't let the door hit you in the ass!'

What is happening with the last announcement that Mr. Barrett is a "finalist" for the big job in Lewiston? The story still states he still is a "finalist" for that postition, so is he willing to withdraw consideration for that position? (Apparently?) or is he working both sides?.....He "suddenly" retired from Bangor with as Blanchette states "no hidden agenda", openly looks for another place of employment, now wants to re-consider his Manager's job in Bangor.....Politicing at its best in our fair city of Bangor.....sort of sounds like our UMO sporting coaches who openly look elsewhere for jobs while maintaining their respective positions at Orono....maybe just time to part ways and move forward......

These are the same people who the citizens of Bangor have entrusted with a 40 million dollar budget? Perhaps more troubling than the original decision they made, is the fact that they don't have the fortitude to stick with it. This speaks volumes about the short-sighted, ill-informed, and perhaps unethical make-up of this group. I fear that the "Bangor City Council Confidence Meter" has just dipped into the red. Good luck Mr. Barrett. The irony of this is that the same council that has ousted you may have saved you from a sinking ship.

Interesting dynamics across the Penobscot River. Wouldn't it be refreshing to really know why the City Council dumped Ed Barrett? Apparently, little of that was discussed at last night's meeting. A party called me last night, after having watched the cable coverage of the meeting, to express his disgust with how our Fire Chief Rick Bronson, and Bangor Concilor- Anti-Barrett- seemed to look down upon the group of 40 supporters in the audience. It was said that Bronson was arrogant, as was Blanchette, and seemed to put down those sitting in support of Barrett. However, Bronson was the first to jump to his feet in clapping after Barrette gave a short passionate message. Unfortunately, we here on this side of the river, do not have the same cable outlet as Bangor. Councilor Bronson has been on the Bangor City Council for about one year, and yet chose to support the firing of Barrett, and also to join in with his fellow councilor's to support the joint committee with Brewer, in order to save $1.5 million dollars annually- without loss of jobs- only through attrition. And, Brewer citizens's voted in support of this similar provision, and to join with who now, may I ask. With the present City Council of Bangor? The Bangor Council, without any kind of leadership apparently, will hobble along for months to come. And Ed Barrett being the lucky one, will probably go to Lewiston. Best to you Ed Barrett, an excellent Public Servent.

Oops! Should have signed onto the authorship of the above posting. Larry T. Doughty, South Brewer, larrytdoughty@yahoo.com, www.ourstory.com/larrytdoughty/

“The reality is that our needs are changing. We have to look to the future,” he said, urging residents to exercise the same level of trust they had when they elected members of the nine-person body."

I wonder if any of them would have been elected if this had been a known item on their platform?

I wonder if they will ever be reelected as well.

Here's another point.

They wanted to change directions to some unknown direction to be determined at a later date?

Wow, you Bangor voters sure know how to pick em.

What would be interesting to me is why would anyone vote Larry Doughty back to city council in brewer. Looks like he is more interested in bangor. Move here if your that interested.

Whatever happened to the thoughtful and cohesive Council of this great city. This has to be a shock to the dedicated City emplyees, and those who would contemplate municipal service. Remember who crafted this abomination when you vote again.

Anther disappointing city council session, who seem to be increasilngy disconnected from the voters of Bangor. I'm not sure where they got the impression that we want them making decisions under the cover of darkness or that we implicity trust them to do the right thing, as they have failed us so many times in the past. These are the people behind the Howard Street debacle, the people who refused to take a public position on Richard Greens conflict of interest, the people in fact who hired Mr. Green to take pictures of them and stuck us with a bill totaling several thousands of dollars, the people who are on the verge of running up enormous debt to building an auditorium that the public may not even want (they haven't even asked us yet - via a referendum). I was especially disappointed with Gerry Palmers lecture to the public - he was clearly angry that citizens would question his judgement. I think his attitude is emblematic of the larger issue here - sure we voted for these people, but that doesn't mean that we have to trust their judgement, especially when they can't tell us what they're doing and develop a visision that only they can see.

Perhaps we need to dismiss Gerry Palmer, David Nealley, Richard Bronson, Susan Hawes and Pat Blanchette because we, the people, whose will they serve at, feel that their good old boy politics is not acceptable for a Bangor looking for a new direction.

YEAH!!! the King is leaving. The throne will be vacant. Maybe now City Hall can run like it is supposed to. Maybe

Bangor PD won't have to take orders from on high. Maybe Bangor Public Works can operate on it's own. Am I wishing for too much?

No dog in this fight, but it sounds like you guys either like the guy or you hate him. I would suspect he is a pretty rock steady invidivual who does what he thinks needs to be done, and deals with the consequences. When I hear the PD and Public Works people are happy to see gun go, that makes me think he has stepped on a few toes that had been wearing steel toed boots that didn't protect their toes. I commend the council for at least bringing it out in the open. Sounds like the first vote was a big roughshod.

"Bangor PD won't have to take orders from on high. Maybe Bangor Public Works can operate on it's own. Am I wishing for too much?"

You really want these departments to answer to no one?

It seems to me that this "debate" is revolving around personalities (and the ad hominums that invariably follow).

There are really just two things worth consideration regarding any town/city manager's dismissal:

1) Town and city managers are hired guns. It is rare that their tenure lasts longer than ten years, nevermind 20+.

2) If the majority of the Council wants new ideas, energy, skills, and knowledge, they have the power to seek it.

Best Wishes to Mr. Barrett - thank you for your years of service to our great city.

Should one read into the timing of this action? It occurred at election time and now leaves a full year for people to forget about it before the council members are up for re-election. We as human beings tend to forget over time (how passionate are you about 9/11 today compared to 8 years ago?) which is not always one of our best traits.

Ed Barrett lead the city for over two decades in a position that always leaves half the people pissed off at you when you follow the council's "direction". Mr. Barrett is not only the poster child for Class Act but he is a good soldier and follows his commander’s directions without public criticism.

It is without any doubt that there are councilors who have enjoyed the power (perceived or actual) that came with the fact that the citizens of Bangor gave them more votes than their competitor in a past election. Don't be surprised when this 5 vote majority comes forward with a change in the city charter to go from a City Manager form of government to a Mayor form of government. Jerry Palmer is now a "former Mayor" and he knows he can do the job better than Ed Barrett. How do I get back on top? Let's get rid of the manager, change the charter and the people of Bangor who love me will flock to the polls to beg me to be their leader once again! Now, I just need to make sure they forget about who instigated this whole thing.

Ed Barrett is clearly the sacrificial lamb in the whole scenario and every manager who gets into his business knows that but for the grace of god there goes I. If you place your hand in a bucket of water and quickly pull it out: the time it takes for the water to slap back together is how long people will remember all of the good things Mr. Barrett has done for the city and who the leaders were that wanted a “new direction.”

Usually City managers don't last this long in any one city ... that Ed has is indicative of the quality work he did. And his loyalty certainly did not warrent the kick in the pants he got.

Corona~The reason the citizens in Brewer elect Larry Doughty is because they know if they have issues he will do his very best to assist. He takes his position seriously. Last year I had an issue and Mr Doughty was the ONLY person on the council to either take an interest or assist. Joe Ferris was able to mail me a rude letter and the rest couldn't be bothered. Thank you Mr.Doughty for your service

Has Bangor been working on the referenced "new vision"? Did they reach an impasse with Mr. Barrett? If this visioning process hasn't been happening, aren't they putting the cart before the horse? It would be one thing to present Manger candidates with the outline of a new vision, but it sounds a bit unrealistic to expect someone to come in and be expected to create one.

Palmer and Blanchette, sounds like Reid and Pelosi all over again. Do they honestly think they are doing what those that elected them want them to do in this matter? Of course not just like Reid and Pelosi they are pompously self serving and could care less about the desires of those that put them in the position they are in.

From out here in California, we are sort-of watching this Bangor Council person, Palmer, make the mistakes of his political career. I guess the snide and arrogant appearance on his face and his secure body language depicted in one of the adjoining photos tells the story in part. Too bad for Bangor at the loss of Barrett, though.

Political decisions such as this one brought through Council votes, sometimes are right and sometimes completely wrong; in having that said, there is no question there is a Council agenda at hand, (albeit a secret one so far) and there is a meaning behind all of this; this just is not the right time to reveal the ramifications and details of the decisions and the manner of the votes. In the fact Barrett seems to be playing two sides is ridiculous...he is only covering his donkey for the sake of being able to go from one job into another without skipping a beat. One always has to outsource themselves in times such as this if there is "writing on the wall". Well, never mind, Ed, what goes around, comes around, and this cocky Council will soon find it's own way into oblivion on their own without any outside assistance.

Something does not add up here!

I have to admit this is the first time that I can recall ever agreeing with Hal Wheeler. If he can admit he was wrong and re-thought it, so can i!

Thank you Ed Barrett. Best of luck in the future.

The "Fire-Ed-Five"... we'll be watching. Next November isn't that far away.

“I’m appalled at the method in which this was done,” said Norman Minsky, who chaired the City Council in the 1960s. “I’ve never seen this in 40 years." When Mr Minsky feels the need to publicly speak out about this at a council meeting, believe me, something is up here behind the curtains at the city council chambers. And it appears old wrongs and resentments run deep and so maybe someone or group got payback in this whole move.

However, I am more sad about the entire Queen Cities' area (never called this anymore) that is just crumbling away since Dow closed, Urban Renewal, and for the continued passing up other projects, "too to keep taxes low", the mantra that brought us to this present problem. And so leaving a once premier infrastructure like the Airport, the so called Civic Center/Auditorium, the physical plants of both high schools a disgrace,and so much more now close to ruin and in unrepairable disrepair.

People forgot how the military, paper mills, shoe shops, etc. really breathed life into these cities and provided an endless desire to improve the area by joining civic groups, volunteering thousands and thousands of hours, a true community effort on both sides of the river. And now? Each faction just cannibalizing the other, both councils locked in protectionism, with big stores heavens, which have laid to ruin the the small business person for the sake of what?

And so in less than 40 years Bangor/Brewer has evolved into a shadow of its former self. No more the service, transportation, Gateway to DownEast and Acadia, and destination events center and hub for concerts, trade shows, tournaments, etc. Now just a has-been area, where you can buy cheap products at cheap prices, where housing that once where military families thrived now used as low income housing for their kids who may never see the same American dream, and place where moving your mom and dad into one of the onslaught of assisted living communities, further eroding a once lving breathing patch works of vibrant neighbors hoods where your grandchildren used to live just down the street.

It will take some new fresh, aggressive ideas and vision to change things.

fredrogers - I agree with your last statement. It will take some new, fresh, aggressive ideas and vision. The problem is, the current council has fired our manager and their new vision is hidden from view. If they had announced their "new vision" when they fired Mr. Barrett maybe there wouldn't be so much drama.

I rarely agree with Mr. Wheeler. In this case rather than rescind the original vote, Mr. Wheeler should have asked all parties to open the minutes of the executive session to the public. Personnel issues could be redacted, but the bulk of the meeting could have enlightened us to the council's motivation. Instead we have a divided council that can easily become fractured and incapable of moving forward.

With a new committee charged with evaluating the city charter, this is the perfect time to "adjust" the council. A six person council and an elected mayor could serve the people of Bangor and reduce cost. An elected mayor would not be hired "at the will of the council," but at the will of the voters. And with a four year voting cycle, the mayor's personnel evaluation would determined by the vote and not at the council's whim.

In many countries, a new election can be called if the public declares no confidence in their elected officials. This often occurs when the government is stymied by an impasse or fractured to the point of ineffectiveness.

I believe that a number of speakers last night declared no confidence in this council. However, they declared great confidence in Mr. Barrett's abilities. Bangor is in a no win situation - we lose Barrett and are stuck with a council whose only "new vision" is the next election.

Bangor does need to do some "visioning". I doubt anyone can anticipate how pervasive, for example, will be the economic effects of the decline of the forest products industry. It effects banking, legal, health care, car sales, mall, social services, air travel, hardware, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to come up with some answers before the s hits the fan?

It sure sounds like pjramsay was involved in an executive session of the council. Just think about your comments for a moment. Advocating for an elected administrator? Councils and Selectman forms of government call for elected citizens to oversee the operation of the community. The larger the community, the more complex the operation is. The more complex the operation is, the more extensive education in government operations is needed. It is unrealistic to think that your average mayor could walk in after an election and protect a community from liability and oversee a community efficiently. Not that most couldn’t do it after a period of time but the learning curve every four years would be great and chances for disaster during the learning curve intense!

And it is going to save money? Don’t you think that this new Mayor Palmer (I mean mayor) is going to want to be paid now? After all, they are doing the same job that the city manager was doing right? So they should get paid for it. Changing the charter for this is a really bad idea. Unless you want to build a kingdom.

hancock3 - in most cases, an elected mayor is not a bagboy at the local Shaws. They are retired business people, or lawyers or even doctors. I wouldn't be worried that an elected mayor wouldn't be qualified.

As for paying the mayor, Mr. Barrett was getting $120,000 per year. An elected mayor could be worth $80,000 - we just saved $40,000 per year. With three less councilors we will reduce the cost of the council by $6,000 per year. In the first year we have saved the cost of the employment company that is going to find the new city manager.

Now all we need to do is find budget cuts that will pay for the facilitator ($2 to$3 grand) that the council is hiring. They need a facilitator to help them find our "new vision."

Not looking to build a kingdom - just looking to find a voice for the people. An elected mayor will work for us not the council that appointed him.

hancock3 says - "It is unrealistic to think that your average mayor could walk in after an election and protect a community from liability and oversee a community efficiently. Not that most couldn’t do it after a period of time but the learning curve every four years would be great and chances for disaster during the learning curve intense! "

This happens in towns and cities, state and federal government every four years. Are you saying that a citizen of Bangor does not have the intelligence to stand up to the task? That would explain why we keep electing the same drones over and over again.

I give Bangor more credit than that. I believe that we have plenty of people that would take on this responsibility and serve the voters well.

Well folks here is the very latest. A Mr. James Elmore has obtained the necessary affidavit from Bangor's City Clerk, in calling for a RECALL election of those five Councilor's, that have voted to fire Ed Barrett. Mr. Elmore needs to obtain just 10 signatures, and that would be easier enough, standing out front of the wide doors at City Hall. Then an election would b called to 'recall' those five councilors. This will include our Brewer Fire Chief Ric Bronson. Interesting times ahead. Larry T. Doughty, South Brewer- larrytdoughty@yahoo.com, www.ourstory.com/larrytdoughty/

With the exception of the 3 that were just re-elected, I think we should recall them all. I also wonder if there is a way to obtain the executive session records through the freedom of informatio act.

No on the executive session. However, if Ed Barrett should give his permission to open up such a session, then it would be ok. I cannot imagine Ed doing that, now that he truly wants to get this behind him, as I think he is headed for Lewiston. Fun time ahead for the elected process. Larry T. Doughty

Larry - Where do we sign????

fredrogers: That might be a bit bleaker than it actually is (re 12:33 PM) but unfortunately you state some realities and truths as well. Maybe some fresh blood is needed in the Council, among other things......would that help.....

What a nightmare for city staff and the citizens of Bangor. The question for Mr. Barrett is "do you want to stay in Bangor and are you motivated to assist in the new vision once the council drafts what it is". He might be looking forward to greener pastures.

As for signing the peition's, I'm not sure as yet. Sometimes, you can go into the City Clerk's Office, otherwise, reach somebody that has the petitions in hand. Surely, this information will be avaible soon. Larry T. Doughty

Mr. Doughty doesn't quite have it correct, but he's on the scent. There will be a recall campaign. It will start with an affidavit signed by 10 registered Bangor voters. After that, the City Clerk will prepare petitions to be circulated. Over 2,300 signatures of registered Bangor voters will need to be acquired within 60 days of the beginning of circulation. (Help! Big job!) If that hurdle is passed, then a city-wide recall election will be scheduled, at which time, simultaneously, candidates will be elected to fill any vacant coucil seats. There are some unresolved questions at the moment. Perhaps foremost is the timing of the campaign. It could be set up with the goal of earliest possible election, which would be somewhere out around April, or it could be timed so that the (hoped for) recall election would be at the same time as the June primary election, thus saving the City around $15,000 in special election costs. If you would like to be involved in the petition campaign, in any fashion, please send an email to: LXVnow@gmail.com

Thanks for your interest in this matter. Jim Elmore, Bangor

Thanx Jim, I wasn't sure of the recall provisions...I have a feeling though, that you won't be too long in securing the 2300 signatures. Sounds like Bangor voters are just a tad disgruntled, to say the least. Best of luck in your endeavor, a brave one you are Sir. Thanx for the corrections..Larry T. Doughty

You're more than welcome! I kind of feel like we're going from zero to sixty in 2.5 seconds, but the wheels are at least holding the ground. I believe the BDN has a story on the recall tomnorrow. Then it will be time to turkey-up and afterward do some serious planning. Peace.

Jim Elmore LXVnow@gmail.com

The only petition I'd sign is one that gets rid of the entire city council, king Eddie of Barrett, Jim shiny pants Ring and Rebecca HUH Huff. THAT would certainly be a new vision for Bangor and a good one.

Sounds fishy to me

Jim, I applaud you, and think you will have no problem getting the signatures you need. I also applaud the people that came to the city council meeting and voiced their opinion about the councils action to date.

My question to you is this... Is this going to be a recall of the complete city council or just of a select few. If it is a selection, then I would have to say all but two need to be removed at this time.

People of Bangor... Please keep in mind the politics of the council. Go back through the old stories that concern the council, and this past election. I ask that you read (or re-read) the comment I left on the "New council moves to update bangor Charter" article. Then come back here and look at the vote break down. Now think... Why would a councilor change his vote? Could it be that they are up for RE-ELECTION in 2010??? Granted we do not know all that happened behind closed doors. Granted if it were not for Councilor Gratwick writing his letter, I do not think there would be as big of a discussion as there is now. However because of his letter and events that have been publicized since, we have a good idea of how most if not all of them voted. If we the people of Bangor truly want to do this, then we must say to those councilor(s) that changed their vote "sorry, your change of heart vote is too little, and too late".

I think this movement is wonderful. Thanks to those of you that have put the ball in play. I continue to be at a loss to understand how the council members have deluded themselves into believing that we trust their every decision or that we have somehow empowered them to unilaterally define (under the cover of darkness) some new vision for our city. I'm still not over the audacity of Mr. Palmers angry, lecturing demeanor last evening, as if to say "how dare you for second guessing us". I'm also amazed by Ms. Blanchette's assertion that they don't have a "hidden agenda"...if you can't call a secret agenda discussed in a closed executive session, a hidden agenda, than what exactly qualifies for that title?

Hey Larry T.....As a taxpayer in Brewer, I would like to know if our Fire Chief is conducting City of Bangor business while we are paying him to protect life and property in our city. If he has a city of brewer email, why don't you take a looksee at the content since he has been on the bangor council to see if he is more concerned about what is going on in bangor then protecting the citizens of brewer. I believe that this is all public information and you would be surprised at what you find. You owe it to the people who pay his salary.

Responding to Bangor101: yes, the remarks from the public last night were remarkable in their restraint and thoughfulness. As for the scope of the recall effort, I can only share my current thoughts. I would dearly love to see some sort of committee form to address the question of who is to be named for recall. My own thought is it should be the five who voted together last night (Palmer, Blanchette, Nealley, Bronson, and Hawes). I can understand reasons to go larger, or smaller, but these are the five who clearly labelled themselves as intransigents. Jim Elmore LXVnow@gmail.com

elmo67 - I agree that a committee should be formed. Bangor101 makes a valid point. There are only two councilors that are not culpable - Mr. Gratwick and Mr. Weston. Weston by the fact that he wasn't there and Gratwick by fact that he tried to get the facts out. If it wasn't for Mr. Gratwick, this whole situation would have become a footnote in the council's minutes.

I agree that 2300+ signatures will be penned before the ink is dry on the petitions. I also think that in order to be fiscally responsible, the June vote would be the best option. I would be happy to help as well.

. . . . . . . 'What is wrong with the way this ordeals is carry out will cover to who is the QUESTION of what is wrong as the call back of toyota auto of to cover the wrong gas pedal.