BANGOR, Maine — Five of the six residents seeking three open City Council seats fielded an assortment of questions Monday night about such topics as the implications of tax-related state referendum questions, the city’s plan to replace the aging Bangor Auditorium, and the American Folk Festival funding crisis, to name a few.
Participants in a two-hour candidates forum at City Hall, which drew more than 60 people, were incumbent Councilors Patricia Blanchette, Peter D’Errico and Geoffrey Gratwick, and their challengers, Marco Antonio Almodovar and Cary Weston, both of whom are first-time council hopefuls.
Paul Lodgek, an engineer who also is seeking his first council post, was unable to attend due to a previous commitment but sent a brief statement that moderator Bill Sullivan read during the opening statements portion of the program.
A seventh candidate, retired dentist John Kossowan, announced Monday that he has dropped out of the race.
The questions the candidates were asked came from representatives of the Bangor Daily News, WABI, WBLZ and WVII television, and from audience members.
Following is a sampling of some of the questions and candidates’ responses to them:
Excise taxes and TABOR II
Candidates were asked for their views on two statewide referendum questions related to taxation, namely the proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights and a proposal to reduce vehicle excise taxes.
Gratwick, an arthritis doctor, called the proposal to curb excise taxes “a very poor idea” that could lead to user fees for such city services as trash collection and the layoff of as many as 40 employees. He said that while TABOR “sounds good on the surface,” it would “put the straitjacket” on elected officials and inhibit their ability to adjust to changing economic conditions.
Blanchette, retired from retail and a former state representative and county treasurer, said the city would have to hike its tax rate by 75 cents per $1,000 in property valuation to offset reduced excise tax revenues or offset it through budget cuts.
“That is something that’s not done easily,” she said, given the fact that Bangor, a city of about 33,000 residents, is liable for a population that swells to an estimated 100,000 during the day. With regard to TABOR, she said, “There is no free lunch. TABOR’s going to promise you everything and deliver very little.”
D’Errico, retired Bangor International Airport director, said there was “no question” in his mind that the reduced excise tax income would result in higher property taxes, the layoff of city employees or both.
TABOR, he said, “would slow down our city moving forward” by limiting the city’s ability to fund what it thinks is important.
Almodovar, who worked in New York City’s municipal education department before moving here seven years ago, said the city must find ways to bring revenue from more outside sources, such as the federal government. Bangor, he said, “can’t risk layoffs,” especially in the area of public safety.
He said Bangor and the rest of Maine should wait to see what voters decide on the two tax measures next month before deciding what to do about them.
Weston, a founding partner of Sutherland-Weston communications, said that because the excise tax measure would kick in halfway through the city’s fiscal year if passed, the city would have to offset half of the projected revenue loss, or $900,000, during its current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, “so it’s a dire question. There’s going to be some hurt if that goes through.”
He also isn’t a big fan of TABOR, pointing out that a more effective approach to using tax dollars would be to prioritize local needs and allocate funds accordingly. “It’s not about a cap, it’s about making smart financial decisions,” he said.
Arena, American Folk Festival funding
Closer to home, all five participants agreed the city needs to replace the aging Bangor Auditorium with a new arena but split over how to do that. They also differed on their approaches to funding the folk festival, which is about $130,000 in debt. The city contributed $85,000 toward its operating budget this year and at least $100,000 in staff time.
In response to a question about the proposed arena, Weston said the city “absolutely” needs one but that it must find ways to build upon existing traditional uses by bringing in new uses that will fill its seats.
Almodovar also wanted to see Bangor build an arena but said that “we should find out how much we can spend” first.
He said he strongly favors the city’s continued contribution toward the folk festival budget, adding that he and his family were among the 800 volunteers who keep it running.
“I love the folk festival,” he said. “We should keep the folk festival. It’s something that everybody wants to see. If you take out the folk festival, you won’t have Bangor.”
D’Errico sees the festival and the arena as important development assets.
“The [festival] deficit doesn’t frighten me at all,” he said. “Sometimes the councilors need to take risks,” pointing to the successful conversion of the former Dow Air Force Base to civilian use as BIA as an example of a risk that paid off.
The new arena, he later added, would complement Hollywood Slots as a tourism generator. “This would certainly support that,” he said.
Blanchette agreed it is time for a new arena. “This one is dead and gone and should have been buried years ago,” she said. She said that the expectation that Bangor and Maine voters had when they passed ballot questions authorizing slots at commercial harness racing tracks was that the new revenues would keep the sport afloat and help fund a new arena in Bangor.
While she thinks the festival was a good draw for the city, she also said that it is “heavily subsidized” and that the city needs to “live within our resources.” It might be time to modify the event, which now runs three days and features performances on five stages.
Gratwick said he, too, thinks Bangor needs a new arena. “My question is when, [and] when depends on when we can finance it,” he said. Pointing out that the city now has about $6 million in revenue from slots set aside for the arena, he questions if “that is enough of a down payment.”
He said the festival was part of Bangor’s cultural “coming alive,” but added he is “very concerned about the deficit.” Given the amount the city contributes toward staging it, “I think we have an obligation to make sure that it works.” Admission fees and involving more downtown businesses could be steps in the right direction, he said.
The forum for council candidates also was broadcast live on Bangor’s government access channel. It will be rebroadcast several times Oct. 20-31. Another forum, which will focus on school committee candidates, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Bangor Public Library.