With 12 candidates vying for three seats on the Bangor City Council, voters in the city are choosing from a crowded field — the largest, in fact, in at least four decades.
Campaign slogans and social media posts can often be vague and blend together, so the Bangor Daily News wanted to get into the details with candidates. That’s why we asked all of them how they would’ve voted on seven key measures that actually came before the council in the last year.
The chart below shows their answers to the seven yes or no questions. Candidates were also given the option to elaborate, so you can hover over their votes in the chart (or tap, if you’re using a mobile device) to read more. As the only incumbent running for reelection, we asked Joe Leonard to explain the votes he took on those proposals.
First, we asked about the 180-day ban on data center construction that passed this spring. The pause was recently extended for another 180 days. Only one candidate was opposed.
We also asked about a proposed 180-day ban on new syringe service programs and chemical dependency treatment facilities. That measure, proposed by City Councilor Carolyn Fish, was killed in committee. Candidates were relatively split on this temporary ban and expressed varying degrees of support for needle exchanges in the city.
Many of the candidates were hesitant to take a stance on several budgetary decisions that came before the council this year, saying they didn’t know the details and needed to gather more information. We asked if they would’ve supported funding for eight new firefighter positions, funding for the public health department’s homeless response coordinator and an increased school budget.
Four candidates said they would’ve supported a proposed ordinance restricting collaboration with federal immigration authorities, which ultimately failed 5-3 in a council vote.
Just three said they would’ve voted in favor of creating a TIF district and credit enhancement agreement for the Yellen Pines homeless housing development, a decision that has sparked outrage among some in the Bangor community but ultimately won council approval. The 75% tax reimbursement deal over 30 years will supplement the state money that represents the project’s primary funding stream.
The BDN has profiled all 12 candidates — you can read about them here. We also asked them a series of broader questions on camera about how they’d solve Bangor’s biggest issues. You can watch those videos for free here.