A Vision for Bangor’s Future
Bangor needs leaders who care about us. We need people invested in the community, who want to see it thrive. A vote for Paul Madore is a vote for the following:
- Lower property taxes on first and primary properties
- Policies which promote safety for Bangor families
- A balanced budget which does not seek to raise property taxes every single year
Building a Better Bangor
Bangor is suffering. If you live here, you know that. We are overrun with drugs, shoplifters, transients, and blight.
Bangor was not always this way.
Once it was a thriving, affordable place to live, with limited drug problems and virtually no homeless population. To date, our city leaders have sought to address these problems by blowing our money on useless programs. One city councilor can be quoted as saying he does not care if it costs a million dollars to house each non-contributing homeless person. This is a literally ridiculous thing to say: you could buy my house three times over for $1 million.
We must consult with the community and other cities who have dealt with these problems, as they are far from unique to Bangor. We must consult our law enforcement for their views, as they interact with these people the most. And we also must hit the streets ourselves and see what we see. No more hiding in our homes, hoping the problem goes away.
The problem is not made better by the high cost of living here. A standard, two-bedroom apartment, with little or no utilities included, currently costs about $1600 per month according to Zillow. To make matters worse for renters, they must go through all the same credit approvals and such that homeowners go through.
Renters are as affected by rising property taxes and costs as homeowners, in that they pay all the costs of their rental, plus a profit to the landlord. High property taxes bring us all down.
We must be creative in our solutions, and not continue failing ones. Simply handing out piles of cash to transients has proven ineffective everywhere it is tried. The average income in Bangor is just about $38,000. While we should also do our best to bring in good-paying jobs, the goal should be to bring costs within this price range, before more people wind up on the streets.
Some quick math for you: if it costs $1,600 per month to rent a two-bedroom, and the average person earns just $38,000, that means that a traditional family will be left with just $18,800 to pay all other bills, including gas, car payments, and you name it. How is a family looking to save for a home supposed to do that in this situation?
All policies that I assent to and promote will be in favor of working families, while ending the unreasonable reliance on the property tax increase. Families are exiting Bangor every month, selling their homes to real estate developers who are turning them into overpriced apartments. My vision for Bangor includes you, me, and everyone we know. We deserve a city that serves and protects, not just enriches its coffers in a never-ending delusional cycle.