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Carollynn J. Lear, Bangor city manager
12 min ago
Bangor's new city manager has experience with government operations and taxation
An attorney with extensive experience in government operations and in federal and state tax law has been named city manager in Bangor.
Carollynn J. Lear will become city manager, effective June 16.
Lear has spent three years with the Internal Revenue Service, both in her current position with the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, and previously as senior attorney and advisor to the deputy commissioner of the IRS.
“Carollynn’s broad experience in government, both at the federal and state level, made her a great choice for the Council, and we look forward to her leveraging that professional experience to benefit the people of Bangor,” said Cara Pelletier, chair of the City Council.
The Belfast native steps into a role held for three years by Debbie Laurie, who retired after a total of three decades with the city.
Bangor, with 31,753 residents, is the seat of Penobscot County. Bangor is the major commercial and cultural center for much of northern and eastern Maine.
Lear's background
The Council formally appointed Lear on Monday, May 12.
“The Council chose Carollynn from a talented field of candidates because of her deep understanding of government operations, and the impact of taxation,” Pelletier said. “Her voice will be important when it comes to legislative mandates and proposals in Augusta and their impact on Bangor.”
Lear graduated from Northeastern University and later earned degrees from the Roger Williams University School of Law and from the Boston University School of Law, where she received a specialized legal degree in tax law.
Prior to her time with the IRS, Lear spent nearly a decade with the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. She began as an assistant general counsel in 2013 before transitioning to tax policy counsel, advising the agency’s commissioner on administrative policies relating to tax law and on changes in state statutes. In this role, Lear represented the agency before the state legislature on matters such as analyzing the fiscal impact of legislation, reviewing legal consequences of legislation, and drafting legislation on behalf of the agency and lawmakers.
She was later promoted to assistant commissioner of the Department of Revenue Administration and in that capacity, Lear oversaw 160 agency staff and an agency budget of $24 million.
“I thank the City Council for entrusting me to lead municipal operations for the city of Bangor,” Lear said. “Although I am currently employed in federal service, my passion lies in local and state government administration. The impact that government leaders can have at the local and state level is unmatched and I am excited to get started.”
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