Bangor City Council: Conflict of Interest Analysis

Nonprofit / Political Campaign Operation

A Brewer-based nonprofit that received $336,342 in ARPA funds from the City of Bangor (voted Aug. 14 and Sep. 25, 2023). Food AND Medicine did not receive opioid settlement funds in the March 2026 round (Item 26-109); however, board member Daniel Carson voted YES on that allocation. Its leadership — Jack McKay (Executive Director) and Melissa Smith (Deputy Director) — simultaneously lead the Eastern Maine Labor Council. The organization also conducted documented campaign activities — including canvassing and endorsements — supporting the election of four current councilors in 2025. No public accounting separates the organization's ARPA-funded programmatic activities from its political activities. Because money is fungible, public funds received by an organization can free up other resources for other purposes, including political activity. Whether this occurred is not established by this report; it is a matter of public interest that the organization has not been asked to account for. Food AND Medicine is also the official Maine affiliate of Jobs With Justice Education Fund, a DC-based national labor coalition with $17.7M in assets. JWJ-EF has made documented grants to Food AND Medicine totaling $40,000+ across multiple years (2012, 2015, 2020, 2025), meaning the organization receives funding from both the City of Bangor and a national labor organization — all flowing through the same leadership team that endorses and campaigns for city councilors.

Nonprofit / Recovery Services

A recovery-focused nonprofit that received $415,600 in ARPA funds from the City of Bangor (voted July 10, 2023 — before Walker was seated). Councilor Angela Walker is listed as Peer Services Coordinator on BARN's own website (bangorrecovery.org/board-staff-members/, accessed May 2026). No public record documents when she began this position. Multiple news sources confirm the role: WGME (Nov. 6, 2025) and BDN (Sep. 18, 2025) both described her as working as Peer Services Coordinator at BARN at the time of her 2025 election. BARN did not receive opioid settlement funds in the March 2026 round (Item 26-109); however, Walker sponsored and voted YES on that $641,297 allocation while employed by BARN, without filing a recusal or disclosure. The 16 opioid fund recipients include several organizations in the same recovery services sector as BARN.

City Advisory Committee

A city-appointed advisory committee that recommended $641,297 in opioid settlement funds to 16 organizations in March 2026 (Item 26-109, sponsored by Walker, passed 8–1). Councilor Susan Hawes chaired the committee and then voted as a City Councilor to approve its own recommendations. Councilor Angela Walker sponsored the item and voted YES while employed by BARN (which did not receive funds but operates in the same sector). The full recipient list per Attachment CO 26-109: Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine ($12,500), Wellspring ($48,609), Boys & Girls Club of Bangor ($10,000), Needlepoint Sanctuary ($34,000), Bangor Public Health and Community Services ($49,358), Community Health and Counseling Services ($50,000), Bangor Y ($50,000), Penobscot Community Health Center ($50,000), Bangor Comprehensive Treatment Center ($48,829), Crosspoint ($48,000), Saint Andre Home ($10,000), Blue Sky Counseling ($50,000), GBA Counseling Services ($30,000), Metro Treatment of Maine ($50,000), Preble Street ($50,000), Timberwolves NAC ($50,000). Total: $641,297. Source: Attachment CO 26-109, City of Bangor (March 9, 2026).

County Advisory Committee

A Penobscot County committee that recommended allocation of opioid settlement funds to recovery organizations. Initially met in secret (reported by Bangor Daily News, Aug. 2025).

Nonprofit / Housing Advocacy

A nonprofit focused on housing for unhoused people that advocates before the Bangor City Council. Founded in 2019 by Jamie Beck (wife of Councilor Michael Beck). Jamie Beck resigned as Executive Director in approximately early 2025; the March 2026 WGME/BDN article about the $2M federal earmark quotes Anna Phillips as board president, confirming Jamie Beck is no longer in a leadership role. At the time of his 2024 election, Councilor Michael Beck was listed as Advocacy Team Lead — an unpaid volunteer role. Beck filed a conflict of interest disclosure with the City Clerk upon taking office and has recused himself from all Dignity First matters since November 2024 (City Clerk disclosure on file). The organization is developing "Homeful Village," a planned 60-unit tiny home village for chronically unhoused people. In October 2024 (before Beck was sworn in), the Bangor City Council voted 6-3 to grant Dignity First a right-of-first-refusal lease on 7 acres of city-owned land at 55 Cleveland Street. Dignity First subsequently lost that right of first refusal when federal funding did not materialize — WGME/BDN (March 2026): 'The city offered Dignity First the right to lease that land before anyone else after the encampment closed last year, but the organization lost that chance when federal funding didn't come.' Dignity First currently has no agreement with the city for any property. In March 2026, Dignity First received $2 million in congressionally directed federal spending (Sen. Angus King). Dignity First also applied for ARPA funds from the city but was denied in an earlier round.

Labor Organization / Political Endorsement Body

The Eastern Maine Labor Council endorsed four current councilors. Its leadership — Jack McKay (President) and Melissa Smith (Secretary) — simultaneously lead Food AND Medicine, creating a direct overlap between the political endorsement machine and the nonprofit receiving city funds.

Nonprofit / Public Health

A public health nonprofit that received $648,000 in ARPA funds and $115,976 in opioid settlement funds from the City of Bangor. Jayson Hunt of Wabanaki served on the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee that recommended the opioid funds.

Nonprofit / Community Health

A community health nonprofit that received $2,480,000 in ARPA funds and $50,000 in opioid settlement funds from the City of Bangor.

Political Party

Councilor Daniel Carson has been confirmed as the Political Director of the Communist Party of Maine (a state affiliate of the Communist Party USA / CPUSA). This is documented by five independent sources: the Bangor Daily News (Oct. 1, 2025), Peoples World — the CPUSA's own national publication (Nov. 6, 2025), the Communist Party of Maine's official Instagram account showing Carson delivering a speech in his capacity as Political Director (May 8, 2023), KeyWiki, and the National Republican Congressional Committee (Nov. 7, 2025). Carson is registered as a Democrat on the ballot but holds a formal leadership role within the CPUSA.

Nonprofit / Progressive Hub

Located at 96 Harlow Street, Suite 100, Bangor. A progressive nonprofit that serves as a hub for tenant organizations including syringe-service advocates. The organization has documented collaboration with Food AND Medicine (joint event, June 2025). It also supports tenant rights advocacy, Palestine solidarity events, and community organizing. Funding comes from member donations and grants. Program Director: Joshua Kauppila. NOTE: Councilor Michael Beck's alleged 'former director' role is UNVERIFIED — Beck has denied affiliation. The only documented connection is a 2018 Facebook post tagging Beck as a member/attendee at Bangor Pride.

Nonprofit / Harm Reduction / Syringe Services

A harm-reduction nonprofit operating syringe access and disposal programs in Bangor, Milo, Portland, and Waterville. Received $34,000 in opioid settlement funds from the City of Bangor (March 2026) for a recovery coach position. The Finance Committee — which includes Councilor Daniel Carson — allocated these funds. Needlepoint Sanctuary lobbied the council from the Peace and Justice Center's 96 Harlow Street location. The council also approved a zoning change in October 2025 to allow the organization to reopen its syringe program at a new location.

Nonprofit Co-location Hub

700 Mount Hope Avenue in Bangor is a multi-suite office building that serves as a co-location hub for several nonprofits. Heart of Maine United Way relocated here in October 2025, creating what it called a 'community nonprofit hub.' Other tenants include UCP of Maine, Amicus (intellectual disability support), Eastern Maine Counseling and Testing Services (EMCTS), and MHCPV Housing Inc. Daniel Carson has documented ties to this hub. The concentration of grant-funded nonprofits at a single address raises questions about coordinated lobbying and funding allocation.

National Nonprofit / Labor Coalition Funder

Jobs With Justice Education Fund (JWJ-EF) is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) with $17.7M in assets and $10.5M in annual revenue (2024). It operates a national network of 37+ local labor-community coalitions across 25 states. Food AND Medicine in Brewer, Maine is the official Maine affiliate, listed on the JWJ national website as 'Food AND Medicine / Jobs With Justice of Eastern Maine,' with Jack McKay listed as the network contact. JWJ-EF has made documented grants to Food AND Medicine: $15,000 (2020, COVID-19 food support), $15,000 (2015, SNAP/farmers market program), $10,000 (2012, food stamp discount program) — all confirmed via the John T. Gorman Foundation database and IRS 990 filings. The Kindora grant database also shows a $10,000 grant from JWJ-EF to Food AND Medicine in 2025. This means Food AND Medicine receives funding from both the City of Bangor ($336,342 in ARPA) AND from a national DC-based labor organization — creating a dual funding pipeline that flows through the same leadership team that endorses and campaigns for city councilors.

Advocacy Coalition / Nonprofit Network

Penobscot County Cares (PCC) was founded in September 2021 as a coalition of more than 30 community organizations formed explicitly to lobby Penobscot County and City of Bangor officials to invest American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in housing, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health care. The coalition's founding organizing statement, addressed directly to county commissioners, city and town councilors, and legislators, called for a public process to allocate federal ARPA dollars before any specific commitments were made. Multiple organizations that signed the PCC founding statement subsequently received ARPA or opioid settlement funds from the Bangor City Council, including BARN ($415,600 ARPA), Food AND Medicine ($336,342 ARPA), HEAL ($1,000,000+ ARPA), Dignity First (ARPA), Needlepoint Sanctuary ($34,000 opioid funds), and Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness ($648,000 ARPA + $115,976 opioid funds). PCC meets bi-weekly via Zoom. Contact: [email protected].

Grassroots Nonprofit / Mutual Aid

Greater Bangor Houseless Collective (GBHC) is a small, volunteer-led grassroots organization that provides mutual aid and low-barrier support to the unhoused community in the Bangor area. It has no paid staff and is fiscally sponsored by Resource for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), a 501(c)(3) with EIN 01-0353747. GBHC's funding comes almost entirely from small community donations; it receives no grants or state funding. GBHC conducts weekly outreach at Pierce Park (next to the Bangor Public Library) on Saturdays. In addition to direct service, GBHC engages in political advocacy, communicating directly with legislators and pushing for housing and homelessness policy changes. In October 2025, GBHC endorsed Daniel Carson, Angela Walker, and Susan Faloon for Bangor City Council — the same slate endorsed by Food AND Medicine and the Eastern Maine Labor Council. All three won seats in November 2025. GBHC and the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine regularly co-host events and share advocacy networks.

501(c)(3) Nonprofit — Fiscal Sponsor & Advocacy

Resource for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC) is a Maine-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 01-0353747) founded in 1978 and headquartered in Augusta, ME. Its stated mission is to 'build and support a movement for nonviolent social change through education, training, and organizing.' ROSC operates primarily as a fiscal sponsor for grassroots organizations that lack their own 501(c)(3) status — meaning it receives and disburses grant funds and donations on behalf of sponsored projects, providing legal and financial infrastructure. One of its current fiscally sponsored projects is the Greater Bangor Houseless Collective (GBHC). ROSC's finances have been under pressure: FY2024 revenue was approximately $190,000 against $275,000 in expenses, running a significant deficit. FY2023 revenue peaked at approximately $400,000, likely reflecting ARPA-era grant flows. Executive Director Sass Borodkin received $74,658 in base compensation plus $8,055 in benefits in FY2024. ROSC is part of the same progressive advocacy ecosystem as Food AND Medicine, the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, and GBHC.

Dissolved Nonprofit — Former Syringe Service Provider

Health Equity Alliance (HEAL) was a Bangor-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 01-0441229, tax-exempt since 1989) that operated Maine's largest syringe service program in Bangor, as well as programs in Ellsworth and Machias. HEAL received $387,054 in City of Bangor ARPA funds (fully disbursed, per May 2025 City Council workshop agenda). HEAL is no longer listed in the IRS's most recent list of tax-exempt organizations — it has effectively dissolved. The organization's collapse followed a rapid sequence of regulatory actions: in November 2024, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) suspended all of HEAL's syringe service certifications; the Maine Secretary of State briefly dissolved the organization around the same time; and on January 15, 2025, Maine CDC formally revoked HEAL's syringe service certification. By January 22, 2025, HEAL was confirmed as no longer able to serve the community. Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness stepped in temporarily to fill the gap; as of early 2026, the City of Bangor's Public Health Department was exploring becoming a syringe service provider itself. The scale of HEAL's operations before collapse was significant: from November 2022 to October 2023 alone, HEAL's Bangor location distributed 658,627 sterile syringes to 1,062 enrolled participants — an average of 620 syringes per person per year. Critics raised accountability concerns about the volume of distribution relative to the number of enrolled clients and the absence of meaningful outcome tracking. Executive Director Joshua D'Alessio received $102,198 in compensation in FY2022 and $119,465 in FY2023 — a 17% raise in the organization's final full operating year, even as the organization ran a $198,220 deficit in FY2022. D'Alessio's predecessor, Jennifer Thompson, received $88,446 in FY2021. Prior to Thompson, Kenneth Miller served as Executive Director from at least 2013 through 2021 at salaries ranging from $48,592 (FY2013) to $98,940 (FY2020). HEAL's FY2024 Form 990 has not yet been filed with the IRS as of May 2026, leaving the final year of operations — which includes the certification revocation period and D'Alessio's final compensation — undocumented in the public record.

City ARPA Expenditure

In January 2024, the City Council approved $250,000 in ARPA funds to install up to six public restrooms throughout Bangor at approximately $30,000 each. As of 2026, four have been built. The restrooms have been widely reported as de facto injection sites, with needles and drug paraphernalia documented inside. Critics, including Scott Pardy of Fresh Start Sober Living, have called them 'unsafe injection sites.' The Maine Wire documented rampant drug use near the restrooms. Weekly maintenance costs $200 per unit.