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Amy Roeder of Bangor represents District 23 in the Maine House of Representatives.
We are never so vulnerable as when our lives, our health or our homes are in danger. In those times, we call on first responders to come to our aid. In March 2021, one of the first actions of the newly elected Congress and President was to pass the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). In addition to relief payments and funding for the vaccine rollout, ARPA also included Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to support local governments’ response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. ARPA funding was a perfect opportunity to come to the aid of the first responders that protect our lives and livelihood.
At the national level, the International Association of Firefighters, the union that represents the Bangor Fire Department’s firefighters, was one of the most passionate advocates for the need for American Rescue Plan funding for communities. But because of the votes of five members of the Bangor City Council, the funding that the IAFF helped secure is now being withheld from some of its own members.
During the pandemic, Bangor firefighters struggled to keep up with the needs of our community. I was present at the July 10 council meeting and saw the room packed with firefighters, community members and other organizations seeking funding. I heard the firefighters speak of the horrific conditions they faced during the pandemic.
I heard about the Bangor Fire Department’s current 12% vacancy rate, the high attrition, the sorrow and frustration they feel. I also heard council members speak of how much the fire department was valued and appreciated. The firefighters’ own words, however, make the council’s platitudes feel empty. “I did not expect…to be working for a department that did not have the backing of the city.” “Your callous indifference is felt by us every day.” “We are mentally exhausted, and for what? The work we were doing was valued only enough to get a painted pallet set in front of the station so we all knew we were heroes.” “When we made our request for premium pay, city leadership laughed… We have been told by members of city leadership that we are no more than a bunch of bus drivers.”
That’s no way to show people they are valued or appreciated.
In the millions of ARPA dollars that it received, the City of Bangor had a rare opportunity. ARPA funding had the potential to change our community for the better, tackling housing instability, substance use disorder and to shore up public services strained to the breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the council itself identified “homelessness,” “substance use disorder” and “housing” as three priority areas for funding and yet, at the July 18 council ARPA workshop, councilors voted to exclude several applications from organizations addressing such priorities. Ultimately, though, the most inexplicable vote was when the council voted 5-4 to remove the Bangor Fire Department from further consideration for ARPA funding.
Councilors Dina Yacoubagha, Joseph Leonard, Dan Tremble and Cara Pelletier were the only four council members to vote to advance the Bangor Fire Department’s ARPA application. Unfortunately, the remaining five councilors’ votes doomed the department’s chances at even a sliver of the ARPA funding.
I am struggling to find the sense in this decision. I am struggling to find the humanity in this decision. We owe our firefighters so much more than faint words of praise. The Bangor Fire Department has never wavered in its commitment to serve the people of Bangor but those five councilors showed that our commitment to them is not so steadfast. I hope all Bangor residents of good conscience will contact the city council to let them know that we stand with our fire fighters. The actions of a handful of city leaders do not represent us.