OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bangor City Council Meeting Summary - November 24, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, November 25, 2025
BodyBangor, Maine
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:50

Good evening.

0:51

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Bangor City Council.

0:55

It is November 24th, 2025.

0:58

It is 7 p.m.

1:00

And we just made it.

1:03

Sorry about that.

1:05

We start all of our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance, and I have asked Senior Army instructor Daryl Lyons to lead us, please.

1:22

Oh, we're presently reminded that we meet liberty.

1:25

Practice our rights and safety, worship our God according to the dictates of our conscience because of that flag.

1:30

That flag stands for liberty, which is our greatest possession.

1:33

Justice, which is a cardinal virtue upon which all free people erect their lives, an opportunity without which we're all slaves.

1:40

It is the flag of our country.

1:42

Let us bind our hearts together and pledge our allegiance to it.

1:45

I pledge allegiance to the planet of the United States of America.

1:49

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation, one God, individual liberty and justice.

2:05

Thank you, Mr.

2:06

Lyons.

2:14

We do have a proclamation.

2:18

And Councillor Carson is going to deliver that for us.

2:25

Thank you.

2:26

Proclaiming November as National Veterans and Military Families Month.

2:32

Whereas November was first declared as Veterans and Military's Families Month in 1996.

2:38

And since then has been a time to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices made by military families and whereas there are approximately 5.2 million service members and families in the United States, including nearly 102,000 veterans living in Maine.

2:56

And whereas military families embody strength, resilience, and courage by contending with separation from their loved ones and making adjustments to the new living situations and communities.

3:10

And whereas we celebrate the loved ones of our country's men and women in uniform and recognize the sacrifices they have made in support of our service members.

5:00

Accepting the proclamation, our cadet Caleb Nutter and his mother, Colonel Amy Nutter.

5:03

Caleb is a freshman at Bangor High and an active participant in the school's junior ROTC program.

5:10

Colonel Nutter is the commander of the 101st maintenance group, 101st air refueling wing, main Air National Guard.

5:21

Council Carson, if you would like to meet them out there.

5:35

If we could have all veterans stand.

5:57

Down to business.

6:05

This is a portion of the meeting set aside for general public comment related to city business that do not appear on this evening's agenda.

6:15

Public comment requires a person to state your name and whether you are a resident of Bangor.

6:22

The city council has adopted a public comment policy that we will adhere to that governs topics, comments considered out of order or offensive, and items that are confidential.

6:34

As a reminder, topics that are considered out of order include situations that are in litigation, discussing individual employees or employee groups for which complaint or grievance procedures are in place, personal disputes between the speaker and other private residents, matters not germane to city business, support or opposition to any candidate for political office, and personnel complaints pertaining to individual employees.

7:05

There is a time limit of 15 minutes at the beginning of the meeting, with the ability of the chair at the conclusion of the regular business meeting to continue if necessary.

7:16

The public comment period is for city council members to listen not to respond or debate with persons during the public comment period.

7:25

If you do not live in Bangor or own property in Bangor, please allow those who do to have the opportunity to speak first.

7:33

If you'd like to offer comment on any item related to city business not appearing on the regular agenda, you may approach the podium.

7:41

Alternatively, counselors may be reached via email at counselors at Bangor Main.gov.

7:49

A link to the adopted public comment policy can be found on the city's website, public comment policy.

7:58

And with that, public comment is open.

8:02

Good evening, Council.

8:04

My name is Michael Norton.

8:05

I'm at 83 Elms Street, Bangor, Maine.

8:08

And I think it's great you commemorated the veterans community tonight.

8:15

Oh, there's so many families and people.

8:19

It's just not fun.

8:20

You join the military if you're a grunt, you're a freshman.

8:23

You hear stories, it's not fun.

8:28

You could be separated for years from families and friends.

8:31

Or worse.

8:33

But it pays off extraordinarily for everyone.

8:36

And I wanted to talk about my goals for 2026 tonight, which is to get the cure for cancer and Parkinson's.

8:44

Distributed to everybody.

8:47

We have had defense help us get to that point in our history, our collective society and civilization.

8:55

It's an incredible thing.

8:57

There are contemporary DNA codons known as Guaning Cytocin and USL.

9:06

And I have jotted them down here on this little tiny piece of paper with the molecular structures for each.

9:12

That's common knowledge in the in the field of practice.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Arts And Culture██████████████████18%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Homelessness████████████12%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Public Safety███████7%
Cannabis Regulation██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Bangor City Council Meeting - November 24, 2025

This regular meeting of the Bangor City Council, held on November 24, 2025, began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a proclamation recognizing November as National Veterans and Military Families Month. The agenda included the approval of minutes, several council orders regarding real estate, road disconinuation, and cultural grants, alongside discussions on public comment policies and the growing homelessness crisis. The meeting concluded with tributes to veterans and a late-arriving former council member.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from the special meeting (Nov 3), organizational meeting (Nov 10), regular meeting (Nov 10), Government Operations Committee (Oct 6), and Finance Committee (Nov 17).
  • Item Removed: Council Order 26-020 (discontinuing a portion of Pushaw Road) was removed from the Consent Calendar by Councilor Dean and placed on New Business.
  • Approved Items:
    • Quick Claim Deeds for properties at 11 James St, 183 Park View Ave, 536 Union St, 745 Hammond St, and 1818 Ohio St.
    • Collective bargaining agreement with Local 93 (Service Employees International Union) for Attendant and Shift Leads.
    • Discontinuance of portions of Miller St, Gilman Rd, and (after removal) Pushaw Road.
    • Amendments to employment agreements for City Assessor Philip Drew and City Clerk Lisa Goodwin.
    • Resolution ratifying FAA passenger facility charge application ($60,449,413) for TSA terminal expansion.
    • Resolution accepting $16,449,413 in passenger facility charge funds.
    • Resolves 26-009 accepting a $7,500 donation from Fidelity Charitable for the Department of Public Health and Community Services.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michael Norton (Bangor Resident): Expressed full support for the commemoration of veterans and described his personal goal to secure cures for cancer and Parkinson's via DNA codon research, noting he has applied to Maine Health for a leadership position.
  • Richard Ward (Bangor Resident): Expressed strong opposition to the Council's decision to remove Zoom access for public comments, characterizing the move as a hypocritical "war on free speech" and a violation of the First Amendment. He cited legal precedents (e.g., White v. City of Norwalk) to argue that offensive speech is protected. Additionally, he expressed a position of condemnation against Councilor Angela Walker, citing her 2020 manslaughter conviction and arguing the Council should not have sworn her in.
  • Joe Bauman (Bangor Resident): Argued that while public comment is legally a privilege, the Council has an ethical obligation to ensure fair access as stated in their policy. He expressed support for removing barriers like camera mandates, stating that requiring face-to-face interaction is not equitable for residents in shared housing or domestic violence survivors who need privacy.
  • Hillary Simmons (Bangor Resident): Called for a two-way accountability approach to the homelessness crisis. She expressed support for the City providing accessible shelters and mental health services but simultaneously expressed strong concern regarding disruptive behavior by some unhoused individuals, urging that support must come with structure and rules.
  • Anonymous Resident: Expressed frustration and a position of distrust toward the Police Department's response to a suspected drug house, stating they felt ignored because of their location. Reported that the Police claimed "not to be worried" about the location and were focusing on larger dealers. Expressed opposition to the status quo regarding the police allowing the area to operate unchecked.
  • Penobscot Plaza Business Owner: Expressed concern that the presence of homeless encampments near their business is negatively impacting operations and employee safety, stating that the lack of police action regarding the encampment is not solving the problem.

Discussion Items

  • Council Order 26-020 (Discontinuance of Pushaw Road): After being removed from the consent calendar, the item was discussed. No objections were raised regarding the report on the discontinuance, which stated no easements would be retained and abutters would receive the land. The order passed.
  • Council Order 26-027 (Grant to Bangor Authors Collaborative): A debate occurred regarding the budget for "light refreshments." Councilor Mallor expressed strong opposition to the inclusion of alcoholic beverages, questioning whether the city should fund an event serving alcohol in a public library setting. Councilor Dean and the Economic Development Director confirmed that while alcohol might be present, the city grant funds are restricted and will not be used to purchase alcohol. The Council voted to pass the award with the understanding that city funds would not cover alcohol.
  • Council Order 26-031 (Grant to Some Theater Company for LED Lighting): Councilor Mallor expressed opposition to funding fixed assets (stage lighting) that are attached to a building and may not move with the theater, noting they would be voting no. Councilor Flew and Councilor Fish acknowledged the concern but supported the grant as a community benefit. The item passed after a roll call vote.
  • Closing Remarks: Councilors Carson, Dean, Leonard, Fish, Mallor, and Haas offered holiday greetings. Councilor Leonard expressed sadness over the recent passing of former Councilor Jonathan Cashwell. Councilor Haas expressed strong support for fellow councilors, condemning the negative personal attacks made against Councilor Walker during public comment.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Resolution 26-009 ($7,500 donation) with no discussion.
  • Passed: Council Order 26-020 (Pushaw Road discontinuance) as amended.
  • Passed: Council Order 26-027 (Bangor Authors Collaborative grant) by Roll Call Vote: 8 Yes to 1 No (Councilor Mallor).
  • Passed: Council Order 26-028 (Bangor Symphony Orchestra grant) with no objection.
  • Passed: Council Order 26-029 (Penobscot Theater Company grant) with no objection.
  • Passed: Council Order 26-030 (Robinson Ballet grant) with no objection.
  • Passed: Council Order 26-031 (Theater lighting grant) by Roll Call Vote: 7 Yes to 2 No (Councilor Mallor, Councilor Haas).
  • Referrals: Ordinance items 26-023, 26-024, and 26-025 were referred to the Planning Board for first reading on December 2, 2025.
  • Next Steps: The City Council to host the New England Association of City and Town Clerks; the warming center at the Brick Church and Together Place is confirmed open for the holiday season.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Bangor City Council. It is November 24th, 2025. It is 7 p.m. And we just made it. Sorry about that. We start all of our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance, and I have asked Senior Army instructor Daryl Lyons to lead us, please. Oh, we're presently reminded that we meet liberty. Practice our rights and safety, worship our God according to the dictates of our conscience because of that flag. That flag stands for liberty, which is our greatest possession. Justice, which is a cardinal virtue upon which all free people erect their lives, an opportunity without which we're all slaves. It is the flag of our country. Let us bind our hearts together and pledge our allegiance to it. I pledge allegiance to the planet of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation, one God, individual liberty and justice. Thank you, Mr. Lyons. We do have a proclamation. And Councillor Carson is going to deliver that for us. Thank you. Proclaiming November as National Veterans and Military Families Month. Whereas November was first declared as Veterans and Military's Families Month in 1996. And since then has been a time to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices made by military families and whereas there are approximately 5.2 million service members and families in the United States, including nearly 102,000 veterans living in Maine. And whereas military families embody strength, resilience, and courage by contending with separation from their loved ones and making adjustments to the new living situations and communities. And whereas we celebrate the loved ones of our country's men and women in uniform and recognize the sacrifices they have made in support of our service members. Accepting the proclamation, our cadet Caleb Nutter and his mother, Colonel Amy Nutter. Caleb is a freshman at Bangor High and an active participant in the school's junior ROTC program. Colonel Nutter is the commander of the 101st maintenance group, 101st air refueling wing, main Air National Guard. Council Carson, if you would like to meet them out there. If we could have all veterans stand. Down to business. This is a portion of the meeting set aside for general public comment related to city business that do not appear on this evening's agenda. Public comment requires a person to state your name and whether you are a resident of Bangor. The city council has adopted a public comment policy that we will adhere to that governs topics, comments considered out of order or offensive, and items that are confidential. As a reminder, topics that are considered out of order include situations that are in litigation, discussing individual employees or employee groups for which complaint or grievance procedures are in place, personal disputes between the speaker and other private residents, matters not germane to city business, support or opposition to any candidate for political office, and personnel complaints pertaining to individual employees. There is a time limit of 15 minutes at the beginning of the meeting, with the ability of the chair at the conclusion of the regular business meeting to continue if necessary. The public comment period is for city council members to listen not to respond or debate with persons during the public comment period. If you do not live in Bangor or own property in Bangor, please allow those who do to have the opportunity to speak first. If you'd like to offer comment on any item related to city business not appearing on the regular agenda, you may approach the podium. Alternatively, counselors may be reached via email at counselors at Bangor Main.gov. A link to the adopted public comment policy can be found on the city's website, public comment policy. And with that, public comment is open. Good evening, Council. My name is Michael Norton. I'm at 83 Elms Street, Bangor, Maine. And I think it's great you commemorated the veterans community tonight. Oh, there's so many families and people. It's just not fun. You join the military if you're a grunt, you're a freshman. You hear stories, it's not fun.

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