City Councilor
Joe Leonard
Endorsed by Food AND Medicine, then voted to support BOTH of Food AND Medicine's ARPA applications totaling $336,342.
How to read this profile
Red items are supported by primary-source documentation — city records, official bios, meeting minutes, or news reporting — showing a direct conflict between this councilor's vote and a personal, financial, or organizational interest. These are the strongest basis for a recusal requirement under Maine law and the Bangor Code of Ethics.
Amber items document network connections, endorsement relationships, and transparency concerns that are relevant public-interest context. They do not constitute confirmed direct conflicts but may warrant disclosure or further public scrutiny.
No conclusions regarding intent or wrongdoing are drawn by this report. All claims are linked to primary sources. Readers are encouraged to review those sources directly.
Council Term
Seated
June 2022
Term Expires
November 2026
Conflict Classification
2
Direct Conflicts
(voted while seated)
0
Indirect Conflicts
(org benefited before/after term)
Organizational Ties
Food AND Medicine
Endorsed by; voted to support both their ARPA applications
Organization received $336,342 in ARPA funds
Eastern Maine Labor Council
Endorsed by
City of Bangor Advisory Committee on Racial Equity
Former member
Downtown Parking Advisory Committee
Former member
Documented Conflict Details
Leonard was endorsed by Food AND Medicine.
He voted to support BOTH Food AND Medicine ARPA applications (Gardens Program + Workforce Navigator).
The combination of receiving an endorsement and then voting to fund the endorsing organization raises a clear conflict-of-interest concern.
The total Food AND Medicine ARPA award was $336,342.
Documented Direct Conflicts
These items are supported by primary-source documentation showing a direct conflict between a councilor's vote and a personal, financial, or organizational interest. They constitute the strongest basis for a recusal requirement under Maine 30-A §2605 and Bangor Code of Ethics §33-11.
Leonard was seated and voted to support Food AND Medicine ARPA applications (Gardens Program $75,000 on Aug. 14, 2023 and Workforce Navigator $261,342 on Sep. 25, 2023) while having received their endorsement.
Leonard was seated for the full period during which Food AND Medicine received $336,342 in ARPA funds from the city.
Required Action
Should disclose Food AND Medicine endorsement whenever voting on Food AND Medicine funding; consider recusal.
Conflict Level
How Leonard Voted — Key 2026 Roll-Call Votes
The following are recorded roll-call votes from official Bangor City Council meeting minutes (January–May 2026). Only votes where the motion was formally doubted — triggering a recorded roll call — are shown. Routine items passed by unanimous consent without a roll call are not included.
7
Yes
3
No
Authorizing City Manager to Negotiate with Sheridan Construction — Bangor Central Kitchen, 50 Cleveland St.
Motion to postpone failed. The item then passed on final vote 6-2 (Mallar and Hawes voting no). Walker was not yet seated — she was sworn in November 10, 2025, but this meeting was January 28, 2026. Deane was absent from the postponement vote.
Authorizing City Manager to Negotiate with Sheridan Construction — Bangor Central Kitchen, 50 Cleveland St.
Amending Land Development Code §165-13 — Remove Ohio Street and State Street from Minor Arterial; Add Ohio Street to Major Arterial Definition
Unanimous rejection. Multiple residents spoke in opposition.
Authorizing Award of $641,297 in Opioid Settlement Funds
Walker sponsored this item and voted YES while employed by BARN. BARN did not receive opioid settlement funds in this round; the 16 recipients are listed in Attachment CO 26-109. However, Walker's employer operates in the same recovery services sector as the recipient organizations. No recusal or disclosure of her BARN employment is on record for this vote. Mallar was the sole dissenting vote.
Directing Compliance with State Law 5 M.R.S. Ch. 337-E (Immigration) Effective Immediately
Government Operations Committee recommended passage 3-2. Directed City Manager to comply with state immigration law immediately, before the 90-day effective date.
Amending Code of City of Bangor to Create a Standing Committee on Homelessness
Authorizing Issuance of $75,000,000 General Obligation Bonds for Consolidated Parks and Recreation Facility (Subject to Voter Approval)
Unanimous rejection. Multiple residents spoke both for and against. The bond would have required voter approval.
Amending Chapter 257 (Sidewalks) §257-4 — Referral to Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights
Motion was to refer the ordinance to the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights before final passage. The ordinance subsequently passed 9-0 on May 11, 2026.
Moratorium Ordinance on Data Centers in the City of Bangor
Amending Chapter 257 (Sidewalks) §257-4 — Final Passage of Sidewalk Storage/Obstruction Ordinance
Unanimous final passage after the ordinance was revised following referral to the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights.
Source: Official Bangor City Council meeting minutes, January–May 2026 (bangormaine.gov/AgendaCenter). Full vote details on the Voting Records page.
Historical Conflict Votes — Prior Council Term
The following votes occurred before the current 2026 council term. They are documented here because they involve a direct conflict of interest: the councilor voted on funding for an organization that had endorsed them, without disclosing the relationship or recusing.
Authorizing $75,000 ARPA Award to Food AND Medicine — Community Gardens Program
Leonard was endorsed by Food AND Medicine and voted YES on their ARPA application without disclosing the endorsement relationship or recusing. Food AND Medicine received $75,000 in this vote.
Authorizing $261,342 ARPA Award to Food AND Medicine — Workforce Navigator Program
Leonard voted YES on Food AND Medicine's second ARPA application without disclosing the endorsement relationship or recusing. Combined with the August vote, Food AND Medicine received $336,342 in ARPA funds from a council that included their endorsed candidate.
Censure & Ethics Record
The following records document formal censures, ethics board findings, and ethics referrals involving this councilor. Censures are formal statements of disapproval voted by the full council. Ethics violations are findings by the independent Board of Ethics. Ethics referrals are council votes to send a matter to the board for review; outcome is noted where available.
Censured (1st) for comments about fellow councilors' campaign involvement
Leonard was censured for making comments about fellow councilors' potential involvement in a campaign prior to their election. This is the only documented censure of any Bangor councilor in the preceding decade.
Bangor Daily News, Nov. 28, 2023Censured (2nd) for inappropriate public remarks against a city employee
The council voted to censure Leonard over accusations he made against a city employee during a May 2025 budget workshop. Council Chair Cara Pelletier raised concerns his comments may have violated state law. Leonard also initiated a Sept. 8 ethics investigation into fellow councilors' text messages about him; no violation was found.
Bangor Daily News, Aug. 25, 2025; WABI-TV, Aug. 26, 2025Censured (3rd) for raising middle finger at white supremacist speaker
Leonard was censured 5-2 in a special meeting after he raised his middle finger and threw a pen at a white supremacist speaker (Richard Ward) at the Oct. 27, 2025 council meeting. The speaker had called immigrants 'savages,' directed attendees to a neo-Nazi website, and declared 'white f—king power.' Councilors Beck and Mallar voted against the censure. The council simultaneously passed a unanimous resolve condemning hate speech. Leonard stated: 'This council spends its energy on policing gestures rather than helping our community. I refuse to accept criticism for denouncing bigotry.'
Bangor Daily News, Nov. 3, 2025; News Center Maine, Nov. 4, 2025Sources & Verification
All claims in this profile are drawn from the primary sources listed below. Where a source is marked as confirming current employment or role status, that status was verified as of the date shown above. Sources marked with a URL are publicly accessible. Sources without a URL are print or broadcast records on file.
Describes military background and graduate studies; no current employer named
Confirms Leonard voted on Food AND Medicine ARPA applications (Aug.–Sep. 2023)
Individual councilor vote records for ARPA applications