Bangor equity committee elects leadership, approves 2025 annual report

The City of Bangor Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights held its first meeting of 2026, electing Katie Brydon as chair and Shane Boyes as vice chair. The committee approved its 2025 annual report for submission to the Government Operations Committee and received a citizen proposal for a sanctuary city resolution regarding transgender protections.

Key points

• Katie Brydon was elected chair, Shane Boyes was elected vice chair, and Rheylan Burke was elected secretary, all by unanimous vote.
• The committee approved the 2025 annual report, which details work on homelessness, ICE cooperation policies, and community engagement, for presentation to the Government Operations Committee on February 2.
• A citizen named Jaden presented a proposed resolution to declare Bangor a sanctuary city for transgender and gender diverse people, citing state law LD 227.
• Committee members and Councilor Michael Beck discussed the resolution's necessity, noting that some protections already exist in city code and previous resolutions.
• The group agreed to meet with the City Manager to determine if the proposed resolution fills existing gaps or if staff guidance is sufficient to ensure compliance with state laws.
• Councilor Beck provided an update on the closure of a homeless encampment on railroad property, noting that residents had voluntarily moved out prior to the cleanup.

Next steps

• Present the approved 2025 annual report to the Government Operations Committee on February 2.
• Schedule a follow-up meeting with the City Manager and the citizen presenter to discuss the sanctuary city resolution and identify specific policy gaps.
• Collect data on the impact of sanctuary city designations in other municipalities to inform the committee's recommendation.

Read the full transcript