A local newspaper in Maine has defended a newly-elected female lawmaker after right-wing publications highlighted her jaw-dropping criminal history.
Angela Walker was elected to Bangor City Council last week, despite pleading guilty to killing Canadian tourist, Derek Rogers, 35, in 2002.
Walker, now 51, and her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, were sentenced to 10 years each in jail for manslaughter after Rogers was found dead on Old Orchard Beach.
Rogers allegedly called Walker a slur for a Native American woman, and he was later found bloodied and battered with sand shoved down his throat until he suffocated.
During her election campaign this year, Walker said she was a changed woman who could bring a unique perspective to city government as someone who had been through addiction recovery and the criminal justice system.
While Bangor progressives have framed her recovery as a motivational comeback, many believe the city’s liberals have gone too far by electing a convicted killer.
Bangor Daily News wrote a sympathetic piece about Walker in response to the concerns about her criminal history, saying she had become ‘the subject of right-wing outrage’.
‘Stories from outlets such as the New York Post and Fox News cite social media users, none of whom appear to live in Bangor, as being disturbed by the election results,’ the article reads.
Angela Walker, who served 10 years in prison for manslaughter, was elected as a Bangor councilmember on Tuesday
Bangor, Maine has a city council with nine members on it and one chair who serves as the mayor
‘Interviews with city councilors and members of the public indicate that the harsh criticism of Walker is not representative of widespread sentiment in Bangor itself.
‘More than 2,000 people voted for Walker, choosing her as one of three new councilors out of a crowded candidate pool after the Bangor Daily News first reported on her criminal record in September.’
Pictured: Bangor Daily News executive editor Dan MacLeod
The article then quoted councilors who said they viewed Walker’s election as ‘an example of how people can grow and serve their communities despite past mistakes’.
‘We have a justice system for a reason, and it did what it was designed to do. She did her time,’ new councilor Susan Faloon told the newspaper in the article.
‘Every one of us has extremely different life experiences and career experiences and backgrounds,’ she added. ‘Those differences are going to be our strength.’
Councilor Joe Leonard also hit back at criticism of Walker’s appointment from right-wing figures like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who wrote: ‘Um, what?’ in response to a story about her election.
Leonard told the Bangor Daily News that Cruz ‘needs to focus on his own constituency’.
The author of the article is Annie Rupertus, whose recent X posts suggests she supports the incoming socialist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani. The newspaper’s executive editor is Dan MacLeod.
‘We have a justice system for a reason, and it did what it was designed to do. She did her time,’ new councilor Susan Faloon (pictured) told the Bangor Daily News of Walker
Walker said she will bring a unique perspective to the council
Walker was one of three new members elected to the nine-person council. She received the fewest number of votes among the nominees.
The Maine Wire reported that she secured 2,231 votes, Susan Faloon got 2,512 votes and Daniel Carson garnered the most support with 3,951 votes.
Although there is technically no mayor in Bangor, the city council elects a chair who serves as the primary leader and performs the duties of a mayor.
Rick Fournier is the current chair, and an upcoming vote among the councilmembers will determine the next one.
Bangor was King’s inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, which served as the setting of his popular 1986 horror novel, It.
