The Bangor City Council couldn’t agree on who should serve as its chair for the coming year at the panel’s first meeting since two incumbents and a newcomer were elected last week.
During an organizational meeting on Wednesday morning, the nine-member council held five votes to decide who should replace Council Chairman Ben Sprague, but no nominees received a majority of votes.
The council will attempt to resolve the stalemate during a regular meeting Wednesday night.
[How Bangor residents voted on Election Day]
Throughout the hourlong meeting — during which Councilors David Nealley, Sarah Nichols and newcomer Gretchen Schaefer were sworn in — councilors were split along gender lines.
One nominee, Nichols, was elected to a second term last week after receiving the most votes of the seven candidates in the race.
Nichols and the three other women on the council backed her during the succession of votes on Wednesday morning.
But the men on the council split their support among three other nominees. Councilors Dan Tremble and Gibran Graham received support during each of the votes, with Tremble receiving as many as four votes at various points.
[Sign up for our Morning Update newsletter]
During the last vote of the meeting, Councilor Cary Weston also received three votes to serve as chair.
After no nominees received a five-vote majority, the meeting was adjourned so the city’s school committee could hold its own swearing-in meeting in the council chambers.
Councilors will resume the discussion at their meeting Wednesday night.