Copyright Bangor Daily News
Bangor City Councilor Joe Leonard could be censured for the third time Monday by his fellow councilors, according to the council chair. The council will vote on censuring Leonard and on a resolution addressing hate speech in a special meeting Monday at 5:15 p.m., Council Chair Rick Fournier told the Bangor Daily News. The meeting, which falls the night before Election Day, comes after a heated altercation earlier this week when Leonard rebuked white supremacist attacks that disrupted a council meeting, even going so far as to raise his middle finger at an audience member. It will also mark the council’s first formal response to a spate of hateful comments made via Zoom during city meetings in recent weeks. Councilors said earlier this month they would consider updating their public comment policy in response, but have not yet taken action. Fournier brought forward both agenda items for the upcoming special meeting, he said Thursday. A speaker who joined Monday’s City Council meeting on Zoom espoused hate speech after encouraging attendees to vote for a candidate, Richard Ward, who is known for promoting white supremacy and neo-Nazism. Leonard interjected to denounce the comments, speaking over Fournier. “All the hate mongers out there … you people are not welcome in our city,” Leonard said before throwing a pen and raising his middle finger at Ward, who was in attendance. Leonard has stood by his reaction, saying about his fellow councilors on Thursday, “It’s honestly so disheartening and so disappointing that they feel the need to denounce my completely and utterly appropriate actions.” He added that he thought Fournier should not have allowed the hateful commenter to continue speaking and that he’s received numerous messages from community members thanking him for his actions Monday. Leonard previously acknowledged that his style of politics can cause friction on the council. “I know I can be viewed as a bombastic person. I know that there are some people who don’t like that I go about politics the way that I do,” he said. “But I refuse to accept any criticism over denouncing and defying Nazism.” The language used on Monday was similar to comments made at last week’s Planning Board meeting, the previous council meeting and a meeting in July when Ward used a homophobic slur. Leonard said Thursday that while he would support the planned resolution denouncing hate speech, he questioned Thursday whether it was made in good faith or just “damage control,” noting that a majority of councilors voted down a recent resolution that would have addressed cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Some councilors expressed hesitations at the time about issuing too many resolutions. Leonard has been reprimanded for his conduct at council meetings in the past, including with two official censures — formal statements of disapproval — about his behavior. In 2023, he was punished for comments he made about fellow councilors’ potential involvement in a campaign prior to their election. Earlier this year, councilors reprimanded Leonard for accusations he made against a city employee in a public meeting. He is the only councilor in the last decade to be censured. Fournier said Tuesday he felt Leonard’s reaction to Monday’s attacks was inappropriate. “I’d expect more of a councilor,” he said.
