Bangor City Council censures Councilor Joseph Leonard over gesture and thrown pen

The Bangor City Council adopted Order 25-313, a formal censure of Councilor Joseph Leonard, in connection with conduct at a prior meeting in which the order alleges Leonard made an obscene gesture and threw a pen toward a member of the public while council business was underway.

The order cites local conduct standards referenced during the meeting: Section 33-1 of the city’s code of ethics and provisions in the city council guidelines requiring civility, preservation of order and decorum during municipal meetings. City staff read the order into the record and a motion to censure was placed before the council.

Why this matters: The censure centers the question of how elected officials should respond to hate-filled public comment and where the line falls between a strongly worded rebuke of hateful speech and conduct that violates decorum and public‑confidence standards. Several public speakers and councilors said the council must protect residents who feel targeted; others said the council must avoid endorsing temper‑driven actions by elected officials.

Council procedure and earlier motions: Councilor Beck moved to postpone the censure indefinitely; that motion failed for lack of a second. Debate included arguments that the wording of the censure was redundant or overly punitive (Councilor Beck suggested renaming and narrowing the language), and counterarguments that the council must send a clear message about expected conduct. Councilor Trumbo said the action was necessary to make clear the council’s expectations for decorum; Councilor Fish said the councilors’ voters deserve to see standards enforced.

Public comment was extensive and sharply divided. Several residents urged the council not to censure Leonard, saying his response was aimed at stopping white‑supremacist or extremist rhetoric that had repeatedly been allowed in the meeting; examples included calls to expel “fascists” and praise for Leonard’s willingness to stand against hate. Other residents said Leonard’s gesture and the pen‑throw were threatening and unsafe, and that people who come to speak must not be subject to intimidation by an elected official. Multiple commenters criticized both the presence of disruptive remote callers and the council’s ability to enforce meeting rules in real time.

Roll-call: The council adopted Order 25-313 by roll call, 5 yes and 2 no (Councilor Beck and Councilor Mallor voted no; Councilors Dean, Fish, Haas, Trumbo and Fournier voted yes). The order as adopted censures Councilor Joseph Leonard for the described behavior. The motion on postponement (to postpone indefinitely) failed for lack of a second.

Authorities cited in the order: Section 33-1 of the city code of ethics and sections of the council guidelines on preserving order and decorum were recited on the record as the basis for the censure.

What the censure does and does not do: The adopted order is a formal public reprimand recorded in council minutes; it does not, on its face, remove a councilor from office or impose fines. Several speakers referenced a prior incident and an alleged previous settlement amount; that claim appeared during public comment and was not introduced as evidence in council debate.

Next steps and context: Several councilors said the censure is intended to reaffirm behavioral expectations at meetings; others questioned whether the measure would change behavior. Some councilors urged follow-up work to prevent disruptive callers and to ensure the safety of meeting attendees. The meeting concluded following the vote.