Mayor Cary Weston rides Bangor's wave of civic-minded peers
Photo/Jason P. Smith
Bangor Mayor Cary Weston has helped bring younger talent to the city's public posts and development efforts
When Cary Weston was sworn in as mayor of Bangor on Nov. 14, it was the culmination of a youth movement that started in the city seven years ago. Back then, a group of people in their 20s and 30s began meeting to discuss how to inject new life into their community. They eventually coalesced into Fusion Bangor. "There was one theme that resonated among all those conversations," Weston says. "The folks participating on leadership committees and steering groups were all the same people who had been doing it for 15 years. We were eager for new blood."
Friendships, collaborations and a civic-minded spirit grew out of the group, Weston says. Younger community members began joining nonprofit boards, launching new businesses and organizing events like the two-year-old KahBang indie music and art festival in downtown Bangor. "Fusion was an idea, not a hard structure, but it gave people the confidence and permission to get involved," he says.
Weston, 39, pursued a political path. He was first elected to the city council in 2009. Today, four of Bangor's nine councilors, including Weston, are in their 20s and 30s. "For me, I saw an opportunity," Weston says about his service on the council. "One of my passions is business and economic development, and as a business owner in town, I saw an opportunity for more economic development and public outreach efforts."
Weston started a marketing business in Bangor in 2001 and merged with Elizabeth Sutherland's business in 2005 to form Sutherland-Weston Marketing Communications, which today has a staff of 12. Weston says he will, as all council members are required to do, bring any possible conflicts of interest between his political role and professional obligations to the board before awarding contracts, donating money or pursuing other financial actions.
In the past two years, Bangor has become more intent on business attraction and retention, says Weston. This summer, the city broke ground on a $65 million convention center to replace the Bangor Auditorium. Last spring, the city hired Tanya Pereira, formerly Brewer's deputy director of economic development, to focus on "salesmanship" and foster relationships with developers, real estate agents and businesses, Weston says.
As mayor, Weston says he plans to improve communication, both among council members and between the council and residents. "We do a horrible job communicating with the public on a regular basis," he admits. He says he'll look for ways to produce a more consistent stream of information to help the public get quickly up to speed on topics. Part of this will include redesigning the city website into more of a "communication tool," making it easier to access archived information and make requests of the city.
The youthful energy that Weston credits for his political ascension is not limited to Bangor, he says, pointing to 31-year-old Jonathan LaBonte's recent win in an uncontested mayoral race in Auburn. A few years ago, LaBonte helped launch YPLAA, an organization for young professionals in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Now that the group is well established, LaBonte says he will be able to recruit more young people to help tackle city issues. "A greater number of people in my age cohort not only care but are informed on how to take positions, develop policies and get engaged to create change," he says.
Ambitious and idealistic as he is, Weston says he'll wrap up his relatively short-lived political career next year, at the end of his one-year mayoral term, to spend more time with his young family. But he's not ruling out future political activity. "I'm not closing any doors," he says.
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