A man known for his far-right activism in Maine was among the first people to take out nomination papers for the upcoming Bangor City Council election.
Richard Ward, who ran unsuccessfully for Portland City Council in 2022, has a well-documented history of provocative political actions that use neo-Nazi and white supremacist rhetoric.
Ward described himself as an “America First” nationalist but did not give a direct answer when asked by the Bangor Daily News whether he would describe his beliefs as neo-Nazi or white supremacist.
“A lot of the things that I’ve done for activism or things is to get attention,” he said in response.
Ward said he’s already collected more than the required 100 signatures to get on the ballot and turned in his petition Aug. 6 — the first possible day to submit. The city clerk’s office confirmed that Ward’s petition had been qualified.
Ward is one of 11 potential candidates considering running for three open seats on the Bangor City Council this November. His candidacy is a sign of local government becoming increasingly politicized despite the City Council being a nonpartisan body.
Two other candidates, Reese Perkins and Susan Faloon, had also qualified for the ballot as of Friday. Candidates have until Aug. 26 to take out nomination petitions, collect at least 100 signatures from registered Bangor voters, and return them to the City Clerk’s office.
Ward said he moved to Bangor about a year and a half ago and described his occupation as “free speech activist.” He decided to run for City Council because he felt like other people who share his beliefs don’t tend to have the opportunity to vote for like-minded people, and he wanted to “give people a way to protest vote,” he said.
A photo posted on Facebook last month showed Ward wearing a shirt with Adolf Hitler on it and the numbers “1488” — a white supremacist symbol that refers to the slogans “Heil Hitler” and “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Ward confirmed to the BDN it was him in the photo.
Ward said he thinks Bangor City Council shouldn’t provide funding to undocumented immigrants or LGBTQ+ pride celebrations, and that it should repeal the city’s ban on flavored tobacco sales. He also listed homelessness as a top issue, saying he doesn’t support the clearing of homeless encampments.
He said he is not enrolled in a political party and has participated in both “things that are pretty far-left extreme activism and things that are pretty far-right.” He listed homelessness and Palestine as issues where his positions align with the political left.
In June, Ward staged a protest on Stillwater Avenue by displaying a banner that read, “Support ICE: report and deport,” referring to the immigration and customs enforcement crackdown under President Donald Trump.
He has also been vocal in Bangor City Council meetings, including one instance where he used a homophobic slur during a public comment period as part of a complaint about rainbow flags and sidewalks around the city on July 14.
Ward previously sparked a series of heated demonstrations in Portland in 2023 after displaying an “It’s OK to be white” banner downtown on the first day of Black History Month. The Anti-Defamation League classifies the slogan as a hate symbol.
There are three open seats on Bangor’s City Council this year and 11 people had taken out nomination petitions as of Friday, including Ward, Perkins, Faloon, Hilari Simmons, Free Martin, Justin Cartier, James Gallagher, Angela Walker, Colleen O’Neal, Daniel Carson and Joschka Winterling.
Perkins chairs the Bangor Planning Board and owns a home services company. Faloon owns a life coaching business.
Simmons is an analyst for MaineHealth and the daughter of sitting councilor Wayne Mallar. Martin is an account executive and the former owner of the Ramada Inn.
Cartier, a real estate agent, and O’Neal both ran as Republicans for seats in Maine’s House of Representatives last year and lost. Gallagher owns the Salty Brick Market downtown.
Walker is the peer services coordinator for Bangor Area Recovery network and a member of Penobscot County’s opioid settlement funds committee. Carson has served in leadership for the Communist Party of Maine, according to the organization’s Instagram. The group is not a recognized political party in Maine, but is a club group affiliated with a national organization.
Winterling made an unsuccessful bid for a City Council seat last year.
Perkins said it felt like a “natural progression” to run for City Council after serving on the planning board and the historic preservation commission.
“I also don’t feel anyone is justified in complaining if you aren’t willing to pitch in and try and help fix things,” he said. “I love the city, and I just want to do what I can to help make the city a great place for us to live.”
