3 win seats on Bangor council Incumbent Palmer, newcomers Nealley, Allen earn 3-year terms

BANGOR – Their roadside signs might not have survived Tuesday’s whipping winds, but three of the eight candidates for City Council did withstand the will of the voters.

City Councilor Gerry Palmer earned 2,212 votes Tuesday, followed by newcomers David Nealley with 2,198 votes and Annie Allen with 2,109 votes. Each will serve a three-year term on the council.

At City Hall earlier in the evening, Palmer, the race’s only incumbent, rubbed the nose of the statue of General Samuel F. Hersey – a former congressman from Bangor – for good luck and said he believed the city would be well represented by the new council, set to take office later this month.

“We’ll continue to work on the things that are about halfway there,” said Palmer, 53, who counted among the council’s continuing efforts waterfront development and the reuse of Bass Park and the Waterworks complex.

On an off year with no state or national races, the council race and the state bond issues drew about 28 percent – slightly better than the 25 percent statewide turnout – of the city’s 17,779 voters to the polls Tuesday.

Among them was 30-year-old Tina York, who said the council’s impact on the city brought her to the polls.

“These three people could make a huge difference when they vote on things that will affect the city,” said York, adding that she voted to return Palmer to the nine-member council. “The council makeup makes a lot of difference.”

The new makeup almost certainly will decide who will be the city’s next mayor, city officials said, with City Councilors Nichi Farnham and Daniel Tremble both reportedly looking to secure the five votes needed to claim the post.

The council is expected to vote on its new mayor – a ceremonial title for the council’s chairman – at its Nov. 14 meeting.

The five other contenders fared as follows, according to the unofficial results: Matthew Tilley, 1,416 votes; Torvic Vardamis, 960 votes; James Elmore, 848 votes; Donald “Tripp” Lewis, 836 votes; and Stephen Stimpson, 697 votes.

Encouraged by his showing in his first run for office, Vardamis, a 21-year-old college student, said he was looking forward to his next council bid.

“You haven’t seen the last of me,” Vardamis said Tuesday night, thanking his supporters. “I don’t see it as a loss. I’ve learned a lot from this, and I still have 14 years before I can run for president.”

City councilors are limited to two consecutive three-year terms on the board, after which they must take one year off before running again.