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Bangor council censures Councilor Joseph Leonard for obscene gesture, pen-throwing; vote 5-2
Summary
The council voted 5-2 to censure Councilor Joseph Leonard for raising his middle finger and throwing a pen during an Oct. 27 meeting; debate centered on proportionality, prior failures to stop hate speech and whether the censure advances public safety or merely enforces decorum.
The Bangor City Council voted to adopt Order 25-313, censuring Councilor Joseph Leonard for an "inappropriate public gesture and action" recorded at the Oct. 27 meeting, when the order states he raised his middle finger and threw a pen in the direction of a member of the public.
The censure order, introduced by the chair and citing Section 33-1 of the city's code of ethics and provisions of the city council guidelines, states the conduct "fell well short of these required standards of conduct" and that council members must "act with civility and preserve order and decorum during city council…
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