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Jenn Morin is the mayor of the City of Brewer.
After watching the replay of Bangor’s Government Operations Committee Oct. 5 meeting, I came away concerned about how the relationship between Bangor and its surrounding communities was characterized.
I can imagine the frustration that comes with being a regional service center. People travel to Bangor because that is where many services are located, including healthcare, shelters, substance use treatment, and other assistance. Municipal boundaries do not change where people can find help.
At the same time, it is important to distinguish between helping someone reach an available service and abandoning someone in another community. If there are documented instances of people being dropped off without coordination or an appropriate destination, those situations should be addressed directly. But suggesting that surrounding communities are responsible for Bangor’s broader challenges is neither fair nor productive.
Brewer is part of the regional response, too. Fresh Start identifies three sober living homes in Brewer, and the Bangor Area Recovery Network operates its recovery community center here. People in Brewer are working to provide recovery services and support for those rebuilding their lives.
Bangor and Brewer do not have the same concentration of services or the same financial resources. That difference matters. For example, through the American Rescue Plan Act, Brewer received approximately $955,000 in direct municipal relief funding. Bangor received approximately $20.5 million.
According to the Maine Attorney General’s March 2024 payment estimates, the City of Bangor is projected to receive approximately $3.45 million in opioid settlement payments from 2022 through 2038. In March, Bangor’s city council approved $641,297 in awards to 16 organizations supporting treatment, recovery, and related efforts.
Those resources do not make Bangor’s challenges easy. They do, however, give residents every reason to expect a clear plan, responsible management, and measurable results.
During the committee meeting, a councilor raised concerns about open drug use in the park across the way. In response, Bangor’s police chief outlined several challenges to addressing it, including the need to test needles for evidence of illegal substances.
That raises a reasonable question: Are we allowing the challenges of enforcement to become an excuse for taking no meaningful action? In other words, if gathering sufficient evidence for a drug charge is difficult, what other lawful steps can be taken now to address open drug use and keep public spaces safe?
I trust Brewer’s police chief to determine the appropriate response, and I expect open drug use in our public spaces to be addressed promptly and consistently.
People struggling with addiction deserve access to treatment and recovery services. Residents also deserve safe parks, sidewalks, and neighborhoods. Those goals are not in conflict.
Brewer can approach these issues with both compassion and accountability. We can treat people with dignity while enforcing the law and protecting public spaces.
Every community has a responsibility to help address addiction and homelessness. Regional cooperation requires communication, coordinated referrals, and honest discussion about capacity and costs. It also requires each municipality to take responsibility for the decisions within its control.
Bangor’s role as a service center brings real pressures, but it also brings real responsibility. Brewer is committed to doing its part, and I hope we can move the conversation toward how our communities can work together while recognizing the different services, resources, and responsibilities each brings.
Our region needs cooperation and shared goals, not finger pointing. It needs leadership that can turn available resources into effective services and safer communities. That begins with making sure unacceptable behavior is addressed before it becomes accepted behavior.