One candidate is running unopposed for a seat on the Brewer City Council that was left empty following the death of longtime councilor Jerry Goss in December 2023.
Brewer will hold a special election to fill the position during the March 5 primaries, according to Vincent Migliore, Brewer city clerk.
William Kimball, originally from Bangor, is running without competition to carry out the remainder of Goss’ term, which ends in November.
Kimball attended Bangor High School, Husson University, the University of Maine and the Maine Technology Institute. He moved to Brewer in 2021 and owns a local heat pump company.
After moving across the Penobscot River, Kimball said he was pleasantly surprised by, “the dynamics of Brewer that were different from other cities.”
“Neighbors here know about one another, look out for each other and care about the city, which I think is increasingly more unique,” Kimball said.
Kimball said he was drawn to run for City Council after hearing of Goss’ death, because he wants to maintain Brewer’s culture of feeling like a small town while enjoying the perks of being a larger community with Bangor’s amenities next door.
“Brewer is a tight-knit community and a lot of people want to keep it that way,” Kimball said. “Preserving that is important to me.”
At a time when the Bangor area is growing and changing, Kimball said he believes Brewer’s greatest challenge is maintaining the city’s small-town culture while welcoming new developments and businesses.
“Our biggest obstacle right now is keeping the qualities that everyone loves while also adapting to the times,” he said.
If elected, Kimball said he would approach the eight-month term as a time to learn how the city council functions and how best he can contribute to it. Should those months go well, Kimball said may be interested in running for reelection in November when the term expires.
Goss’ sudden death late last year sent shockwaves through the community, as he was well known for his multiple terms on the City Council and the 15 years he served as the principal of Brewer High School. Friends and colleagues also remembered him as respectful, kind and a dedicated advocate for causes he cared about.
By speaking to Brewer residents, Kimball learned about Goss’ community involvement and contributions, how widely respected he was and is confident “nobody can ever fill his shoes.”
“You don’t just fill a position and think you can live up to someone’s legacy,” Kimball said. “He was a good man and the city adored him.”
However, Kimball hopes he can carry on Goss’ leadership style of putting the good of the city before his personal interests.
“What stands out the most is Mr. Goss’ love for Brewer,” Kimball said. “He put the city before everything else. I also love Brewer. and I feel like I can bring some of those same values to the city council.”
As a small business owner with four children and a fifth on the way, Kimball said “Brewer’s best interest is my best interest.”
In 2020, Kimball recorded part of a Bangor teacher’s lesson as she discussed race- and gender-based privilege and posted it to a Facebook page for Maine Trump supporters, calling it “unbelievable.”
In the lesson, the seventh-grade teacher at James F. Doughty School talked to students about how race and gender shape their identities and their treatment in society. As a white woman, the teacher explained, she does not face racial discrimination but has faced sexism.
Kimball later removed the video, but not before it was shared more than 200 times, causing the teacher to become the target of online vitriol and commenters called for the teacher to be fired.
When asked about the 2020 controversy, Kimball said, “I think what happened in the past should stay in the past.”
“A city council seat is an apolitical position for someone who cares about the city,” he said. “I look forward to serving the city that I have so much invested in.”
Brewer residents can vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 5 at the Joseph Ferris Community Center on Wilson Street.