The adverse reaction to "over tourism" is not unique to Bar Harbor. Hopefully the town council will respect, sustain and enforce the legislative solution adopted and now reaffirmed by the voters, and we will be spared the direct action seen in some European cities, where unwelcome visitors have been greeted with a barrage of water from squirt guns wielded by frustrated residents.
Why does it take approximately 350signatures with probable experts on the subject at issue to put a question on the ballot yet it only takes 4 ignorant volunteer Town Councilors with no expertise on the subject to attack our Home Rule decision. It sounds like a dictatorship compared to the Democratic principal of one person one vote.
This Council nearly sold Bar Harbor out from under us. This must stop.
I am going to be very upset if this TC doesn’t stop thwarting, misinforming, and insulting the majority of the Town they volunteered to serve.
I think many of us are way beyond "very upset" with our town councilors' moral bankruptcy financially bankrupting Bar Harbor. I can imagine that someone such as yourself, who knows the science and has persevered in documenting and spotlighting it, is being very generous in persevering. These town councilors have had years to design and implement an environmentally and economically balanced plan. And they have done anything and everything but their job.
I have stated this before. W"hat right do we have to tell U.S. Citizens that they cannot come to Bar Harbor. Weather they come by Plane, Autos, Bus Water or Walking. "WE DON'T". If all the people who come by water drove here via autos instead there would be a lot more pollution and this Island would so car logged, we would close the Island down at the Head. I have never been hit by a pedestrian unlike cars that make U-turns in the middle of a road, ignore stop signs, drive the wrong way and how they park and the biggie "They never fill their Blinker Fluid." but I do have scrapes and scratches, cracked bumpers and 3 side mirrors that I have to pay for. Question; What if the big cruise ships dropped anchor in Bangor, Bucksport. Gouldsboro or even Tremont and bussed all those people to our town for shopping. So much for Sidman's 1000 people cap. I admit I don't have an answer but telling U.S. Citizens they cannot set foot in Bar Harbor is just wrong.
With respect, the law does not say that visitors, be they US or international, "cannot set foot" in Bar Harbor. I think a more apt analogy is to an occupancy limit in a theater, stadium or other venue, or a reasonable time, place and manner restriction on the use of public space -- both types of restrictions that are common and well accepted.
It's honestly too bad that the TC thought that they could negotiate without input from the citizens who voted for a cap of 1000. I personally would have been more flexible on the numbers cap during the off seasons and I know I'm not alone. The TC blew it and it's disappointing they wasted so much time and money blowing it.
The adverse reaction to "over tourism" is not unique to Bar Harbor. Hopefully the town council will respect, sustain and enforce the legislative solution adopted and now reaffirmed by the voters, and we will be spared the direct action seen in some European cities, where unwelcome visitors have been greeted with a barrage of water from squirt guns wielded by frustrated residents.
Why am I not surprised?
Two wins at the polls. Wins in the court.
But why should the will of the people and the word of the law mean anything in Bar Harbor? This is what corruption stinks like.
Why does it take approximately 350signatures with probable experts on the subject at issue to put a question on the ballot yet it only takes 4 ignorant volunteer Town Councilors with no expertise on the subject to attack our Home Rule decision. It sounds like a dictatorship compared to the Democratic principal of one person one vote.
This Council nearly sold Bar Harbor out from under us. This must stop.
I am going to be very upset if this TC doesn’t stop thwarting, misinforming, and insulting the majority of the Town they volunteered to serve.
I think many of us are way beyond "very upset" with our town councilors' moral bankruptcy financially bankrupting Bar Harbor. I can imagine that someone such as yourself, who knows the science and has persevered in documenting and spotlighting it, is being very generous in persevering. These town councilors have had years to design and implement an environmentally and economically balanced plan. And they have done anything and everything but their job.
I voted yes but certainly accept the outcome if it holds up after a recount. There will never be higher turnout.
I have stated this before. W"hat right do we have to tell U.S. Citizens that they cannot come to Bar Harbor. Weather they come by Plane, Autos, Bus Water or Walking. "WE DON'T". If all the people who come by water drove here via autos instead there would be a lot more pollution and this Island would so car logged, we would close the Island down at the Head. I have never been hit by a pedestrian unlike cars that make U-turns in the middle of a road, ignore stop signs, drive the wrong way and how they park and the biggie "They never fill their Blinker Fluid." but I do have scrapes and scratches, cracked bumpers and 3 side mirrors that I have to pay for. Question; What if the big cruise ships dropped anchor in Bangor, Bucksport. Gouldsboro or even Tremont and bussed all those people to our town for shopping. So much for Sidman's 1000 people cap. I admit I don't have an answer but telling U.S. Citizens they cannot set foot in Bar Harbor is just wrong.
With respect, the law does not say that visitors, be they US or international, "cannot set foot" in Bar Harbor. I think a more apt analogy is to an occupancy limit in a theater, stadium or other venue, or a reasonable time, place and manner restriction on the use of public space -- both types of restrictions that are common and well accepted.
It's honestly too bad that the TC thought that they could negotiate without input from the citizens who voted for a cap of 1000. I personally would have been more flexible on the numbers cap during the off seasons and I know I'm not alone. The TC blew it and it's disappointing they wasted so much time and money blowing it.