We concede that determining whether to raise the minimum wage in Bangor can be a politically difficult decision. But Bangor residents, workers and businesses deserve a decision on the issue, not more months of debate and indecision.
On Monday night, Councilor Joe Baldacci, who championed raising Bangor’s minimum wage and on Wednesday filed papers to run for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, delayed action on the proposal when it became clear he didn’t have enough votes to pass it. The move gives the effort the feel of a campaign rather than a thoughtful deliberation.
Baldacci’s proposal would have raised the city’s minimum wage to $8.25 per hour Jan. 1, 2016, to $9 a year later, then to $9.75 in 2018. After that, it would be tied to the Consumer Price Index. Maine’s current minimum, $7.50, hasn’t changed since 2009.
Councilor Ben Sprague is a key player in the debate, as four councilors on the nine-member body voiced support for an increase and four opposed it Monday. He said Tuesday he supports raising the minimum wage locally but had too many unanswered questions to vote in support of the increase proposed by Baldacci.
Although it feels like the council has been debating this issue for months — Baldacci introduced the idea to the public in February — it was not officially introduced to the council until July 13. A public hearing was held two days later.
While the council had only weeks to consider a minimum wage increase, the arguments for and against it have been around for years. A review of studies on the impact of local minimum wage increases in California and New Mexico from more than a decade ago was published by the BDN in February. The conclusion? Higher wages helped those at the bottom of the wage scale but didn’t lead to job losses or significant price increases.
Given this large body of research, it seemed time for the council to make a decision Monday. Instead, the topic will drag into the November election, when three council seats will be up for grabs. One of them now belongs to Councilor Pat Blanchette, a supporter of the minimum wage increase who is moving to Florida next week, effectively leaving her council seat vacant for the rest of her term.
The wage debate is one more example of some councilors in Bangor being more comfortable grandstanding on issues rather than making tough decisions with immediate local impact.
In March, the council voted to support a national park and recreation area near Baxter State Park. The concept is far from reality, lacks backing from most of the state’s congressional delegation and doesn’t pose an immediate impact on Bangor.
In April, the council’s Finance Committee supported the idea, brought forward by Sprague, of a local option sales tax. Such taxes have long been supported by service-center communities but have little support in the Legislature, which must approve them. The Legislature this spring rejected another bill to allow local option taxes.
And on matters squarely within their sphere of influence, councilors punted on two issues of importance — especially to downtown Bangor — earlier this year.
The Downtown Parking Advisory Committee this spring called for the installation of meter kiosks in order to charge $1 per hour for 179 on-street parking spaces downtown. The meters were meant, in part, to reduce “car shuffling,” the practice of downtown merchants and workers moving their cars from space to space to avoid parking tickets.
But the council’s Business and Economic Development Committee quickly quashed the proposal, prompting some to warn that councilors were merely putting off the problem.
Councilors earlier in the winter dragged their heels on the formation of a task force to explore options for promoting fiber-optic Internet access throughout Bangor. In February, a council committee delayed formation of a special committee to explore the issue. Three months later, councilors approved its creation, and it has been meeting since.
Bangor has many challenges — attracting new residents, helping business create high-paying jobs, bearing service center responsibilities with shrinking state support and tackling drug addiction — that will require councilors’ action, not just their words.