Bangor equity committee reviews naming policy after Mansfield Stadium field named for Ron St. Pierre

The Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights met Aug. 25, hearing from Parks and Recreation Director Tracy Willette about the recent naming of the Mansfield Stadium playing field for longtime volunteer Ronald J. St. Pierre, approved by City Council shortly before his death. The committee then discussed possible updates to the city's naming policy to allow expedited, "extenuating circumstances" naming decisions with retroactive committee review, and reviewed plans for a committee webpage/blog project and results of a Pride Month community survey.

Key points

• Parks and Recreation Director Tracy Willette described the naming of the Mansfield Stadium field for Ronald J. St. Pierre, a longtime volunteer and coach, approved unanimously by City Council shortly before his death.
• Committee members discussed proposed amendments to the city's facility-naming policy (sections 4 and 5) that would allow the council chair to bypass initial committee review in urgent cases, with retroactive review by the advisory committee; members debated wording (“potential” vs. “may”) to ensure council isn't obligated to refer matters but the process remains clear.
• No formal vote was taken on the naming-policy language; Chair Katie Brighten proposed drafting revised wording to review and vote on at the September meeting.
• The committee reviewed a "community engagement planning workbook" spreadsheet for expanding webpage/blog content, assigning topics by month (e.g., Autism Acceptance Month, Black History Month) with a disclaimer to clarify posts represent individual committee members, not official city or council positions.
• Vice Chair Shane Boyd presented results of a Pride Month survey (about 10 respondents), showing mixed views on Bangor's inclusivity, concerns about safety and awareness, and support for more free community gathering spaces and transportation access; members discussed creating a broader, Bangor-resident-focused climate survey with improved question design, possibly with help from a city data analyst (Robin Sylvia was mentioned as a possible resource).
• Discussion began on a new "civil discourse" agenda topic led by Vice Chair Boyd, but the transcript ends before that discussion was completed.

Next steps

• Chair Brighten to compile proposed naming-policy language changes and share with staff liaison Courtney and committee members for review/vote at the September meeting.
• Committee members to add content ideas and blog topics to the shared community engagement planning workbook and Google Drive.
• Consider requesting a Wi-Fi hotspot/tablet for future in-person surveys (e.g., at Pride) to improve response rates.
• Explore revising the community survey to be broader (not Pride-specific) and inviting data analyst Robin Sylvia or another expert to help design a citywide climate survey.
• Look into criteria used in a past Human Rights Campaign city rating to help inform future survey questions.

Read the full transcript