Right now, only some parts of Bangor have people on the City Council, and many neighborhoods don’t. Unlike other big cities in the state, Bangor doesn’t divide its city councilors into specific areas or wards.
All nine councilors can live anywhere in Bangor, but most of them are in two neighborhoods: Fairmount and Little City. There are a few others downtown and in some other places, but many areas like Outer Ohio, Capehart, Bangor Gardens, and Judson Heights don’t have anyone on the council.
In cities like Portland and Lewiston, they have a system where some councilors represent specific areas, but Bangor doesn’t do that. The way it works now, councilors have to know what everyone in the whole city thinks and wants, which can be challenging.
Cara Pelletier, who is the City Council chair, said it was tough for her to run for office because she had to reach out to all 32,000 people in Bangor. She believes it’s not the same as having someone from each neighborhood on the council.
The way Bangor’s government works has been the same since 1932. Back then, they changed it to have all councilors elected at-large to avoid corruption and make it less political. It was part of a trend across the country in the early 20th century.
Now, Cara Pelletier is thinking about asking people in Bangor if they like the current system or if they want changes. She wants to know if people prefer councilors to represent different parts of the city, like it used to be.
Back in 1973, a survey showed that many people didn’t like the way Bangor’s council worked. Most of the respondents wanted councilors to represent different areas. Pelletier thinks it might be a good idea to go back to that system to make sure everyone in Bangor feels well-represented in city matters.
