Bangor residents urge council to authorize action after encampment clearance

Dozens of residents used the council’s public-comment period on Dec. 22 to push the Bangor City Council for faster, more coordinated action after a recent encampment clearing near the railroad tracks.

Sonia Mallor, who introduced herself as a taxpayer, told the council, "Over 50% of the taxpaying citizens of Bangor are seniors," and said seniors living on Social Security and small pensions worry when the council votes to spend money on people who are unhoused. "You need to stop thinking of our senior taxpayers before you vote to give more money to the unhoused," she said.

Several speakers described harm and confusion following the recent sweep. Katie Bryden, a Bangor resident, said the site was "bulldozed" and that outreach connections and personal belongings were lost. Bryden asked the council to "please authorize the city manager to act," arguing staff cannot mobilize or create alternative placements without that authority.

Speakers with direct service experience urged a centralized, co-located services model. "Investing in a permanent facility isn't just about compassion, it's about ending the repetitive, costly cycle of emergency response," said Scott party, who said a hub that co-locates medical, mental-health and housing services would reduce per-person emergency costs.

Other residents urged concrete timelines and stronger implementation. Jamie Beck said recent sweeps have been followed by spikes in overdoses and infectious-disease risk and called for "an aggressive milestone achievement" plan rather than repeated discussions. Volunteer Adam Baker and business owner Tim Bush urged empathy and public safety measures respectively; Bush described incidents affecting employees and said businesses want unsheltered neighbors to abide by laws while also calling for housing.

Councilors did not take a formal vote to give the city manager additional authority at the meeting. Several council members acknowledged frustration and said they will continue seeking a durable solution: "We're gonna continue to do that," one councilor said, while others offered holiday goodwill and said the unhoused population remains in their thoughts.

The council moved on to regular business after public comment; residents who asked for specific authorizations were not granted a vote on that request at this meeting. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026.