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Good morning and welcome back after the long holiday weekend. We’re getting an all-too-short break from last week’s heat before we endure another sweltering and sunny spell in Vacationland.
Analysis: Bangor’s council is failing to address the city’s biggest crises
We’re more than halfway through the year, and Bangor’s City Council is failing to meaningfully advance its priorities while multiple crises rage, a Bangor Daily News review found.
The BDN reviewed the minutes of every meeting from this council year, which began in November. It found that of the 18 decisions that required substantial discussion over the past eight months, only five related directly to the council’s stated priorities of reducing homelessness and building housing.
Those priorities included funding for emergency warming centers, maintaining a committee to address homelessness, regulating sidewalk ordinances, forming a housing committee and passing a city budget.
The council has just eight meetings left before the election in November, when three seats could turn over.
Annie Rupertus covers Bangor issues and politics, and has delved into reporting the City Council’s issues over the past year. Recently, she reported that a Bangor councilor who had an unregistered vacant property will not be charged back fees.
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From the Opinion Pages
“I think Collins’ level of concern is mediocre at best, dismissive of her constituents and indeed the people of this country, at worst.”
Opinion: I voted for Susan Collins in the past. Here’s why I support Graham Platner.
