Michael Aube, a former Bangor city councilor and director of the Eastern Maine Development Corporation, died on Nov. 29 in Clermont, Florida, at the age of 74.
Those who knew Aube and worked alongside him throughout his career remember him for his steadfast commitment to drive economic growth in the Bangor region and his level head when faced with challenges.
“He was a smart and steady voice on the city council and made sure we treated everyone in the community fairly and respectfully,” said Sen. Joe Baldacci, who was elected to the Bangor city council in 1996 at the same time as Aube. “He was someone you could work together on policy and also have a friendship with.”
Born in Biddeford and raised in Saco, Aube attended Thornton Academy before graduating from Boston College in 1972. Aube met his wife, Marian Loughlin, while at Boston College and the pair married in 1979, according to his obituary.
Aube then worked in the offices of Sens. George Mitchell and Ed Muskie and Gov. John McKernan before moving back to Maine in 1981 to accept a position at the Eastern Maine Development Corporation. Aube served as president and CEO of Eastern Maine Development Corporation from 1981 to 1992, then again from 2009 until his retirement in 2018.
In 2019, the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce awarded Aube the Norbert X. Dowd Award, the chamber’s lifetime achievement award.
Aube and his wife moved to Clermont, Florida, following his retirement.
President George W. Bush appointed Aube to be the state director for the USDA’s Rural Development in Maine from 2001 to 2009. He also served as commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development and was a member of the Maine State Board of Education, according to Aube’s obituary.
Aube served two terms on the Bangor City Council in the late 1990s and early 2000s and was appointed chairperson of the council, which is given the honorary title of mayor, in 2000.
Dan Tremble, a Bangor city councilor and Penobscot County commissioner, said he got to know Aube when he attended the National League of Cities conference with him in 2000. At the time, Tremble said he was impressed by how Aube advocated for Bangor when speaking with other delegates.
“He was always looking for opportunities for Bangor and did so much for the community,” Tremble said. “He had a tremendous knack for economic development.”
Though Aube championed many economic development efforts during his career, his colleagues said one of his proudest achievements was assisting in the creation of the Cross Insurance Center, which opened in September 2013.
Bangor City Councilor Rick Fournier, who began working with Aube in the 1990s, said Aube was “instrumental” in the creation of the Cross Insurance Center because he brought the right people together to come to an agreement and buy into the project.
“He never took credit for it, but he was making it happen behind the scenes,” Fournier said. “His agenda was always promoting Eastern Maine and Bangor. It was in his blood.”
Aube’s other passion project was the revitalization of the Bangor waterfront. Before Aube’s involvement, Tremble said the area was an industrial site full of dilapidated and vacant buildings. Aube, however, saw its potential to be a recreational space for residents.
Though Aube was dedicated to improving Bangor and bringing more opportunities and jobs to the area, his friends and colleagues said he was easygoing and willing to work with anyone to get the job done.
“He was a man of integrity and had a good sense of humor and dry wit that I always appreciated,” Baldacci said. “He knew you can’t take things too seriously in this life.”
