The BDN is profiling Bangor City Council candidates ahead of the election later this year. Read more coverage of Bangor government here, and send questions or ideas for follow-ups to [email protected].
A City Council candidate with years of experience on multiple local boards hopes his background could help Bangor increase housing and services to address homelessness.
Reese Perkins, who said he’s lived in Bangor for more than 20 years and is unenrolled in a political party, chairs the city’s Planning Board and has previously served on the Board of Appeals and the Historic Preservation Commission.
“I’ve been [for] like 12 or 14 years doing this sort of thing in volunteer city boards, and it just seemed like a natural progression” to run for council, Perkins said.
He believes that experience could give him an edge in a crowded field of candidates who have little experience in Bangor’s government. Nine people are running for three open seats on the council, and no incumbents are seeking reelection.
“I’m also aware that some people will see that as me being government and me being same old, same old,” he said.
He doesn’t think people always understand how and why things happen at the local level and that his knowledge of Bangor’s government would help him get things done on the council — a body that has struggled in the past to follow through on its goals with concrete action.
“I feel like what I contribute most is bringing people together and coming up with a solution” while staying within the confines of the city’s rules, Perkins said of his work on boards in Bangor. He added that he believes city councilors should prioritize educating the public about its work and consider how every decision could affect those in the city from diverse backgrounds.
Perkins is retired but previously owned a home inspection business, which he said has helped him understand the complexities of housing issues and the experiences of business owners in the city who can get frustrated with overregulation. And while he believes his business background is an asset, Perkins added that “government is not business.”
“I probably lean too much toward the spend end than I do the conservative end,” he said of his outlook on the city’s spending, saying that while he’s “not a big fan” of bonds, it may be a necessary step for the city to find more funding for housing.
Addressing homelessness in the city is also “going to take money,” Perkins said. “We don’t have enough of those services right now.”
Perkins is a proponent of the housing first model, he said, which prioritizes getting homeless people into housing as the first step toward improving their quality of life. He also said he’d like to work with other municipalities that sometimes send homeless people to Bangor and ask if those governments could help pay for the services provided in the city.
Part of why he’s running, Perkins said, is because he’s seen how discouraged many people are with government both locally and nationally and how negative the political environment is.
“I know a lot of the candidates tend to become candidates because they’re fired up or upset about something and they are pushing change — I’m not that person,” he said. “Yeah, there are some issues … but I think that’s true anywhere. Bangor’s a great place. I like to get involved because I believe in the city and I believe we can do better.”
