Councilor's Controversial Comment Exposes Tensions Over Bangor School Budget Proposal

Did you hear what he said?" a city employee whispered to colleagues as the livestream feed continued to broadcast Councilor Wayne Mallar's remarks. The words were unscripted, raw, and immediately viral. "They're probably all illegals anyway," Mallar had muttered during a break in a Board of Ethics meeting, his voice catching on microphones that had been left on by accident. The moment was both a personal and political disaster, one that would ripple through Bangor's tightly knit community and force a reckoning with long-simmering tensions over immigration, education, and ethics.

The context was a proposed 10 percent budget increase for multilingual services in Bangor schools—a move aimed at addressing the needs of students who speak languages other than English at home. According to Maine's Department of Education, 5.4 percent of Bangor's students are multilingual, a figure that aligns with broader census data: seven percent of residents speak a language other than English at home, and six percent were born outside the United States. Yet Mallar, during a private conversation with a city staff member, dismissed the proposal outright. "They can't speak English, read English or write English," he said, according to Bangor Daily News. "It's not a disability. We do not have to furnish. They're probably all illegals anyway."

The irony was not lost on observers. Mallar's comments were made during a meeting meant to evaluate whether he had violated the city's ethics code—specifically, his conduct at a Historic Preservation Commission meeting in August. The board had already ruled against him eight months earlier for allegedly influencing a slate roof replacement decision with "inappropriate comments," though those remarks had not been recorded. Now, his words were being scrutinized again, this time under the harsh light of public scrutiny and a live feed that had captured every syllable.

What followed was a firestorm. School Committee Chair Timothy Surrette called Mallar's remarks "false, hateful and deeply harmful," while Councilors Susan Faloon and Michael Beck condemned them as "harmful stereotypes" that failed to reflect the values of the community. "I don't believe most of the illegals pay taxes, property taxes anyway," Mallar later told reporters, doubling down on his position. He claimed he had no idea his comments were being broadcast and argued that cultural centers—not schools—should handle English instruction for immigrants.

But the data tells a different story. The 2024 Bangor census revealed that seven percent of residents speak languages other than English at home, a number that has grown steadily over the past decade. Maine's Department of Education mandates that public schools teach English to non-native speakers under state and federal law, with failure to comply classified as discrimination. Mallar's insistence that "we're spending too much time on the homeless and the illegals" ignores the reality that these programs are not just about language—they're about equity, opportunity, and the legal rights of students who make up a growing portion of the population.

Still, Mallar remains defiant. "Why are we teaching English as a second language and taking away from teaching English to our regular citizens?" he asked reporters, echoing a sentiment that has fueled debates across the country. His argument—that allocating funds to multilingual services could harm seniors who can't afford housing—was met with skepticism. "That's not how economics work," one local educator said privately. "You can't fund one group at the expense of another without consequences."

As the fallout continues, the city faces a choice: will it confront the rhetoric that has divided its residents, or let it fester? The livestreamed moment was a window into a deeper conflict—one that touches on identity, policy, and the ethical responsibilities of public officials. For now, Mallar's words hang in the air like a challenge, demanding answers that no one is sure how to give.