BANGOR — Bangor City Councilor Wayne Mallar is under fire after being caught on a hot mic making comments about programs for schoolchildren who can’t speak English and funding for the Bangor School Department.

Mallar made the comments during a Board of Ethics meeting on Tuesday.

He can be heard talking about a proposed school department budget increase.

“The school department’s asking for a 10% increase. As far as I’m concerned, they get no increase,” said Mallar.

He then went on to comment about services for students learning English.

“They can’t speak English, read English, or write English… [unintelligible]… It’s not a disability. They’re probably all illegals anyway,” said Mallar. “That’s what the cultural center is supposed to be doing.”

The full meeting can be found on the city of Bangor’s YouTube page. Mallar’s comments begin around the 2:20 mark.

Councilor Michael Beck spoke out against these comments.

“One of the biggest pieces of being a city councilor, in my opinion, is we serve everybody,” said Councilor Michael Beck. “And to hear an entire section of our community be discounted and a stereotype used against them is just beneath our office.”

“Why speak out? Because I do not want any citizen in this city to think that those were my words. Absolutely not ... those words did not reflect my values,” he added.

Councilor Susan Faloon also said she did not approve of what was said.

“I can only speak for myself, but that does not represent my beliefs and my values,” said Faloon. “To say that they aren’t deserving of that education, to say that somehow they don’t belong here. To me, it’s divisive, it’s not based on fact, and it’sjust plain harmful.”

Faloon also added that the council will be discussing the issue further.

“We will be talking about it [Mallar’s comments]. That much I can say for sure. We will be talking about it again,” said Faloon.

Federal law requires public schools to to take appropriate action to address language barriers. 

Bangor School Department Superintendent Marie Robinson issued a statement in response to Mallar’s comments.

“The Bangor School Department serves every child in our community, without exception,” she said, in part. “As a public school system, we accept all students regardless of their background, country of origin, immigration status, religion, or family circumstance.”

“Providing English as a Second Language services is not optional; it is a legal and moral obligation that supports students’ rights and their ability to learn,” she added.

She also addressed Mallar’s comments regarding the proposed budget.

“The addition of one district‑level [multilingual] teacher is a modest, targeted step that advances equity, improves outcomes for all students, and reflects our commitment to serving every child who walks through our doors,” said Robinson. “Investing in our schools is an investment in the future of Bangor.”

Spectrum News has reached out to Mallar for comment.

The meeting itself was held to determine whether Mallar had violated the city’s ethics code during a meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission last year.

The Board of Ethics voted that Mallar violated the city's code of ethics.