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Residents press Bangor council on homelessness, housing costs and ethics
Summary
At the July 13 Bangor City Council meeting residents urged action on homelessness and questioned the oversight and costs of proposed housing projects, while several callers urged review of the city ethics board’s procedures and potential conflicts.
Residents filled the public-comment period at the Bangor City Council’s July 13 meeting with appeals for more effective homelessness policy, questions about the cost and oversight of local housing projects, and calls to review the city’s ethics board.
Speakers cited specific cases and projects to argue the city needs clearer accountability. "We need to start holding the systems that create homelessness accountable," Amber Webb said, telling the council the story of a former local teacher she identified as unhoused and battling cancer. Property owner Philip Henry criticized plans for a 30-unit permanent supportive housing project, saying the development’s cost is "$11,200,000" and alleging a nonprofit had received federal earmarks without a construction plan. Marlena Brochu said the $11.2 million figure amounts to "over $373,000 per unit," and called for measurable outcomes before committing more funds.
Several speakers pressed the council on ethics and fairness in enforcement. "The chair is a business partner with one of the members of the ethics board," Suzette Furrow told the council, recounting concerns from an ethics-board meeting and urging a legal review. Mike Ferrell similarly urged the council to examine whether the chair’s conduct creates an appearance of impropriety.
Other commenters recommended different programmatic approaches. Tyler, who works with recovery programming, urged a "treatment-first" strategy before housing placement for people with substance-use disorders, and Joyce Mallory described pod-village transitional sites she visited in Canada as a possible local option. Charlie Longo urged distinguishing between people who are unhoused but working and those whose behavior creates unsafe conditions, arguing policy must balance compassion with accountability.
City staff and councilors did not debate public-comment speakers during the hearing; several of the topics the public raised — including project budgets, service-provider contracts, and the ethics-board structure — drew references later in the meeting to procedural follow-ups. The meeting record shows the council postponed one ordinance to obtain full text, approved an ordinance changing standards for existing manufactured-home parks, and accepted multiple grants and licenses that were discussed elsewhere on the agenda.
Next steps: speakers asked the council and legal department to review ethics-board procedures and recusal rules and to provide clearer budget and performance details before larger housing commitments proceed. Several residents requested follow-up information be emailed or posted to allow public review of administrative details.
