Bangor Ethics Board Finds Councilor Mallar at Fault in Rare Ruling
The board ruled Mallar used his title without authorization during an unrecorded recess at an August meeting about a resident's roof.
Bangor's Board of Ethics ruled on March 31 that City Councilor Wayne Mallar violated the city's ethics code at an August meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, the Bangor Daily News reported.
At the Aug. 14 meeting, the commission was reviewing resident Steven Farren's request for after-the-fact approval of swapping his home's slate roof for asphalt shingles. During a 15-minute recess, which the city's video stream did not capture, Mallar spoke with commission members. Farren's wife, Edythe Dyer, told the board she saw him tell members the council disagreed with the case. Mallar said he spoke with one member, a friend, and denied saying the council had sent him.
The board found he broke rules on when officials may use their titles, which require council authorization or a clear statement that they are speaking as individuals. It also found he fell short of the code's standard that councilors act in a way that builds public confidence in city government. Board chair Shane Leonard suggested the city keep recording through meeting breaks.
Former Councilor Dan Tremble filed the complaint in September. Of three cases sent to the board in the past seven months, it is the first in which the board found a councilor at fault. Before October 2025, the board had gone two and a half years without meeting.
This story was first reported by Bangor Daily News.
