Maine’s socialist capital of the north has hired a new “homeless coordinator” – with COVID “emergency” funds.
Hard to figure out which is more perplexing: hiring a homeless czar or paying him through the federal COVID account.
Maybe both.
It’s all part of the New Age phase of life in Bangor, Maine, the city that also aspires to taxpayer-fund its own tent city.
Bangor, officially known as Maine’s Queen City, just hired Bruce Hews to manage the street population.
Hews, who ran a homeless shelter for many years, told Fox ABC Maine he wants to “build good relationships with people that are in that situation.”
The “situation” is Bangor’s so-called homeless pandemic – oh wait, that’s how they’re getting away with using “pandemic relief” money to pay his salary, by coining it a pandemic!
The problem is that living on the street is about ingrained familial addiction, not COVID.
Pretty big problem there in the accounting department, wouldn’t you say?
The “pandemic relief dollars” are set to “expire” at the end of the year, so maybe the U.S. Inspector General who oversees how cities are actually using “emergency” COVID funds will have lost interest by then.
Bangor city councilors better hope so.
The $1.9 trillion that Congress approved five years ago in the American Rescue Plan Act specifically – by law – can’t be used to shore up pension funds or pay for tax cuts.
Financing a city official’s salary with COVID relief funds is effectively a tax cut because it avoids supporting the position with local taxpayer dollars.
It’s a shell game commonly known as robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Republicans in Congress opposed the 2021 COVID-relief law, claiming it to be unaffordable and only benefitting Democrat-led states.
Though the bill provided some funding for Republican-leaning states, 61 percent of aid is going to states that voted for Biden in 2020.
Meanwhile, Bangor city crews last month cleared out a garbage-and-drug-infested homeless encampment along the railroad tracks behind Penobscot Plaza.
Bangor City Manager Carollynn Lear said at the time that city officials were trying to find “new accommodations” for the campers.
City councilors last week announced plans to consider creating a task force focusing on what exactly to do with the growing numbers of sidewalk dwellers.
Damary Carson, who works with Reach Ministries, a faith-based group that provides food, clothing, and other services, told NewsCenter Maine she wants the task force to focus on helping people rebuild their lives.
“Maybe a program where we can help them get on their feet,” Carson said. “We can help them write a resume, do [a] job interview, you know, teach them things.”
City Councilor Michael Beck said the goal is to move from discussion to action.
“To me, it feels like we spend a lot of time talking,” Beck said. “With a committee like this, we’re going to see real, actionable items put in front of council that we can make decisions on.”
