BIO
DUMP NO WASTE, DRAINS TO BAY
For fifteen years, Bar Harbor third graders and I stenciled these words next to storm drain grates on the waterfront and downtown areas of Bar Harbor. As a third grade teacher, I incorporated science and environmental education into my curriculum every chance I had. A focus on maintaining the health and beauty of Frenchman Bay and Mount Desert Island continues to be of primary importance to me.
I was raised in Denver, Colorado, received a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and moved to Bar Harbor 45 years ago. My husband and I have renovated and/or rebuilt four residential buildings in the downtown area. We have provided affordable rental housing to many a student and family over the years. Teaching for 30+ years was both a challenge and a joy. For a year and a half, I rode the mail boat from Northeast Harbor to Cranberry Island daily so I could teach ten the students in grades 3-7 on Cranberry. Then, I was reassigned to Conners Emerson School. There I wore many hats, in addition to being a busy mother and a teacher, I was a scout leader, an Olympics of the Mind coach for several teams, and a founding member of the PTSA.
Upon retirement from teaching, I became active in efforts to insure that local residents have quality access to the waterfront in Bar Harbor. I was involved in efforts to stop the establishment of a port authority at the Ferry Terminal property and was a member of the Ferry Terminal Property Advisory Committee. That group of 40 residents prioritized development of a working waterfront and a marina for the property, rather than developing it as a cruise ship berthing pier.
Currently, understanding and supporting the needs of year round residents and a sustainable environment keeps me busy. I serve as a member of the Warrant Committee, and I follow the activities of the Harbor Committee and Town Council closely. Maintaining the environmental health of Frenchman Bay and MDI continues to be a top priority for me.
THE QUESTIONS:
Why are you running? How does your why for running delve into your bigger life purpose?
The Warrant Committee’s job is to study the articles on the ballot [warrant] and make recommendations to the voters of Bar Harbor about those articles. This takes place twice a year, once before the June Town Meeting election and again before the November Town Meeting election.
As chair of the General Government Subcommittee for the past three years, I have been active in gathering and presenting information to my subcommittee and the full Warrant Committee. January through March, the Warrant Committee looks at the municipal budget and makes recommendations to the Town Council for budget changes. During the months of March and April, we study non budget articles to be voted on, such as Land Use Ordinance changes put forth by residents, ie: a zoning change for the Oceanarium property in June 2022, and Town Council initiated articles, ie: the sale of town owned property to a private party, this coming election. Our attention to ballot articles continues during the fall election cycle. Last fall there were two citizens initiatives, one limiting cruise ship disembarkation and the second being the option of having retail sales of marijuana in Bar Harbor.
I am hoping to be reelected to the Warrant Committee because my experience is valuable to the group. I believe that presenting both sides of an issue and having a healthy debate on those issues, with my fellow members, is an essential step to help educate the voters of Bar Harbor. I believe that an educated electorate will decide to care for our environment and help insure a sustainable standard of living for all residents.
The last year or so the news has been full of cruise ships, short-term rentals, and affordable housing. This isn’t saying that those aren’t all tremendously important, but what are some of the things that we might not be focusing on as a town that needs to be focused on instead?
What do we need to do to move to a sustainable, year round community?
Many Bar Harbor voters feel our current “over investment” in seasonal tourism is taking away from the quality of life in our town. What can be done to alleviate the solid waste burden being placed on the taxpayers? Are in-town water and sewer fees equitable or do the residential taxpayers shoulder more of the burden than we should? What can be done to have heavy users of these services foot more of the bills?
What housing options will be available for our aging population when we no longer need our “big” houses that held families? How will community services be expanded to meet this aging population? Are the sidewalks we use safe or are they tripping hazards?
We need to keep asking questions. The Comprehensive Plan work will inform some of these answers, Town Council others. We need to keep exploring what it means to be a sustainable, year round community.
There’s a school bond on the ballot and a school that’s in dire need of repair. How have you educated yourself on the potential reconstruction of the school and what are your thoughts on how the council, the Warrant Committee, the town, and Conners Emerson School Board can work together to lessen the tax implication for the residents?
I have followed this debate closely and having taught third grade in the Conners building for 25 years, I believe it is not possible to make that building energy efficient.
For so many reasons, we need a new school building. To keep “repairing” the current buildings is throwing good money after bad.
We need to vote in the $59 M school bond, then actively support the School Board’s fundraising efforts to finance the building of a new school. There are entities in this community that have the financial resources to help. There are creative ways of looking at the bonding of this expenditure to lessen the impact to the taxpayers. And, in future municipal and school budget development, we need to “sharpen our pencils” and look for grants and other funding to help move this town forward.
What have you done for yourself that you’re the most proud of? What have you done for the community that you’re the most proud of?
I am proud that I raised two good sons and have both educated and shared my passion for preserving our bay with several generations of Bar Harbor residents. We do not have a Port Authority at the Ferry Terminal property, which would have allowed commercial shipping enterprises in Bar Harbor and/or a cruise ship berthing pier. I was active in fighting American Aquafarms’ attempt to raise salmon on an industrial scale in Frenchman Bay. I will continue, as a private citizen, to advocate for the needs of the residents of this town and the environment in which we live.
The Warrant Committee considers, investigates and reports on all of the election warrant articles except for the candidates for Town Meeting. What particular skills do you have that you think will help you perform that role?
My work within the Warrant Committee for the past several years speaks to my useful organizational skills. I have pulled together information from the various sides of each issue, shared documents and video links, and talked to many people to develop an understanding of each issue. All of this information has been shared with Warrant Committee members and the public as a whole. An informed electorate is important as we move forward to further develop a year round community with a sustainable economy.
What’s a question that I should be asking you that I’m not asking? Feel free to answer it if you’d like to!
Why in the world would a person step into the quagmire that is currently Bar Harbor politics?
I have stepped in because I want future generations to call Bar Harbor home, a clean, safe, beautiful home.