Eight candidates vie for Bangor City Council

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BANGOR – Five men and three women. Ages: 40 to 72. Some local government veterans, others political rookies.

The eight candidates jockeying for three open seats on the nonpartisan Bangor City Council are as varied demographically as they are in their approaches to city issues.

Here is a glance of the candidates that Bangor residents will vote on Nov. 2, listed in alphabetical order.

Incumbent Anne E. Allen, 53, of 818 Ohio St. said economic development, transportation and improving the city’s school system are her top three priorities if elected.

“There is a strong need to focus on economic development and generate additional revenue in the community,” she said. “I would also like to continue to maintain public transportation, roads, sidewalks and affordable housing for residents.”

Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine and works as an accounts manager for the UM school of social work. Her experience includes serving on the Penobscot Valley Council of Governments and the Bangor Area BAT advisory committee. She is finishing her first term on the Bangor City Council.

Kenneth D. Buckley, 72, of 207 Forest Ave. said he plans to focus on remedying erratic city spending, developing Bangor International Airport and breathing more life into the downtown if he is elected.

“If you’re going to have an authentic downtown, you need to be less restrictive and more welcoming to new businesses,” Buckley said. “The city needs to get in shape and cut back on spending.”

Buckley attended St. Joseph’s College in England and the University of Maine, in addition to a three-year stint in the U.S. Marines. He is retired after working as a newspaper editor for several years. Buckley said he’s not a politician, but he has been very involved in city affairs.

George A. Burgoyne, 57, of 228 Center St. listed his top three priorities as: preserving and improving existing services; making sure tax dollars are spent wisely; and getting residents involved in major decisions.

“I’m real concerned about Bangor neighborhoods in the sense that when new development comes in, sometimes I think the focus on the impact of the people who live there already gets lost in the mix,” he said.

Burgoyne graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in public administration. He has worked in the state Department of Health and Human Services for 33 years and has served on the city Zoning Board, Appeals Board, Planning Board and, most recently, on the assessment appeals board.

Susan M. Hawes, 48, of 213 Buck St. said she plans to increase resident involvement, build Bangor’s business community and promote strategic planning and vision development if elected.

“One of the main issues I have bumped into in speaking with residents is that people are looking more for a citizen voice. I want to take the voice of the people to city hall,” she said.

Hawes has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from Husson College and works as clinic manager for Penobscot Otolaryngology. She has been on the board of trustees for the National Board of Medical Assisting.

Thomas E. Mooney, 40, of 39 Parkview Ave. listed his three priorities if elected: “our children, our children and our children.”

“For me, what it all comes down to is making decisions that will positively impact not only our children alive today, but their children,” Mooney said. “Every decision that is made, taxes, development, city service, you name it, I’m going to be looking through that particular eyeglass.”

Mooney, a Realtor with ERA Dawson-Bradford, is a business graduate from Husson College and has done graduate work at Colby College and the University of Maine in communications and psychology. He’s also a Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus member.

Sheila J. Pechinski, 60, of 24 Kira Drive wants a strategic plan for the city, more economic growth and better accountability by the City Council if she is elected.

“I would like to ensure that the council’s decisions take into account the impact on all of our citizens, and that those decisions are made with integrity and common sense,” she said.

Pechinski is a professor in the college of business at the University of Maine, where she also earned her master’s degree in business administration. She has a bachelor’s degree in math and physics from Merrimack College in Massachusetts.

She has been on the city parks and recreation committee, strategic planning committee and the board of the Bangor YMCA. She also has been president of the Bangor Rotary Club and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.

Richard I. Stone, 56, of 18 Milton Place lists maintaining schools, better balancing of development and environmental concerns and working closer with businesses as his top priorities.

“We need to give businesses reasons to locate in Bangor. If you don’t have that commercial development, then the taxpayers take a larger burden of expenses,” Stone said. “We also need to maintain a strong school system that will attract strong families.”

Stone has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Boston’s Northeastern University and is director of operations for Standard Electric Co. He has been a city councilor for six years, Bangor’s mayor for one year and has been a state legislator.

Miles Theeman, 54, of 45 Grove St. said economic development, building a strong tax base and preserving national resources will be his main concerns if elected.

“Bangor must maximize its opportunities as a gateway to four-season tourism, as the center of the east-west highway expansion and as the entertainment and cultural center of eastern and northern Maine,” he said.

Theeman has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida.

He is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Affiliated Healthcare Systems. He also is a past president of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and has been on the board of directors at the Bangor YMCA and the United Way of Eastern Maine.

NEWS writers Abby Curtis and Emily Burnham contributed to this report.