Recalling a Bangor leader

I suppose that my first involvement with Bangor city government was in 1964, when I was hired to write the copy for a brochure promoting Urban Renewal. That assignment required meeting with then City Manager Joseph Coupal a few times to get the necessary information for the brochure and media releases. I held Mr. Coupal in the highest regard as an executive manager and still do. I admit that when he resigned to take an administrative position with the state of Iowa’s Highway Department I was certain that he would be a very hard act to follow. And of course he was. But Bangor found the right man for the job right next door in Orono: Merle Goff.

Merle Goff’s personality and management style were very different from Joe Coupal’s, but he turned out to be precisely the kind of city manager Bangor would need during the next decade.

The Urban Renewal project, while it achieved some of its more obvious objectives, never fulfilled its promise, and people who were either for or against it in those days still lament the wide swath of destruction that it cut in the heart of the city. That’s just one of the challenges that Merle Goff faced. He also had to deal with the closure of Dow Air Force Base and its conversion to a municipal airport and industrial development facility. It should also be noted that during Merle’s tenure as city manager there was a rising tide of “populism” among Bangor citizens, which was reflected in the city council elections of those years.

Merle not only had to run the city, he had to be responsive to almost daily phone calls and impromptu visits from city councilors who had a complaint to make on behalf of someone, or themselves. It was a situation that would have discouraged or defeated a man of lesser stuff. But Merle was more than equal to the task. He never flinched from telling a city councilor that he or she was wrong, and why, and would back up his position with facts. No one could intimidate him, and this was one of his great strengths as the city’s top administrator. He could take the heat, stand his ground, and move ahead without missing a beat. He could see the future of Bangor more clearly than almost anyone else at that time. The evidence of that is visible in the Bangor we live in today.

For the 35-plus years that I have been involved in any way with public affairs, I have observed the leadership styles of people in all walks of life: business, the military, religion, and community service organizations. I have long since reached a fundamental conviction that the most effective leader is one who can delegate responsibility without compromising his authority; who can stay in touch with all aspects of an operation without “micro-managing” it; and who can relate to his subordinates in such a way that friendship and respect never cancel one another. This was also one of Merle’s great abilities. He kept a radio tuned to the city’s public safety and public service frequencies in his car (and probably in his home, for all I know.) Twenty-four hours a day, City Manager Goff knew what was going on, whether it was a barroom brawl or an overflow of the Kenduskeag Stream. One of my most vivid pictures of Merle Goff is of his standing in the nearly foot high water on lower State Street, radio in hand, helping to direct operations during one of the most severe spring overflows of the Kenduskeag.

To many city employees it seemed as though Merle could be everywhere at the same time, which certainly kept them on their toes! Yet, even when reprimanding an employee for not doing his job properly, Merle’s manner was always courteous, if stern. It usually didn’t take more than one such experience to improve performance.

During my three years on the City Council I sought Merle’s opinions and advice several times. He never proved to be less than knowledgeable of the matters I discussed with him, and though we sometimes had a difference of opinion, Merle’s usually turned out to be right!

He never lost his interest in Bangor, and through his succeeding careers as a private businessman and consultant, and even after being confined to a wheelchair by strokes, all one had to do was mention something that was going on in city, or state government to Merle and his eyes would brighten as he launched a concise summation of what he felt should be done, even if it was to do nothing for the moment.

To say that Bangor has “lost” one of its best public servants is only a half-truth. He is no longer available to counsel and advise us, or share his in-depth perspectives, but what he accomplished, and the course he charted for Bangor during his 10 years as city manager can never be lost. For that, I, as a citizen and a volunteer member of city government, am very, very grateful.

Hal Wheeler is vice chairman of the Bangor Planning Board.