Bangor council votes to rely on ethics board probe of Mallar complaint

The Bangor City Council met in a workshop Monday and voted to rely on the ethics board's investigation into a complaint about Councilor Wayne Mallar's conduct at an August 2025 historic preservation meeting. Councilors also agreed to request the ethics board's records and review them before deliberating at a future workshop. Earlier, the city solicitor gave an update on the Bangor Mall case and the city manager previewed upcoming events and a new homelessness committee.

Key points

• The council voted to rely on the ethics board's investigation into Councilor Wayne Mallar's actions during the August 2025 historic preservation commission meeting, rather than conduct its own investigation.
• The council voted to request the ethics board's records of the investigation and review them before holding deliberations, with the matter scheduled for the next workshop.
• City Solicitor David Szewczyk said the city is in confidential settlement negotiations with the Bangor Mall and that a court-ordered stormwater maintenance plan submitted through Haley Ward has been accepted.
• Szewczyk said the mall's deadline to remediate all violations is July 31, and that he is not optimistic the mall will meet it.
• City Manager Carollynn Lear said the first homelessness advisory committee meeting is set for July 14 and will be largely organizational.
• Lear noted Bangor's annual Pride event is Saturday, with an 11 a.m. parade and road closures on Union, Main and Washington streets, and the Penobscot Maritime Heritage Association will hold river events July 28 to August 3.

Next steps

• The city solicitor will gather and send the ethics board's records to councilors before the next workshop, where deliberations on the Mallar matter will be scheduled.
• A draft procedure for handling ethics board advisory opinions will go before the government operations committee at its next meeting and later to the regular council agenda.
• The homelessness advisory committee holds its first meeting July 14.

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