DAVID KIEF
Town Council Candidate
David’s Bio
I was born and raised in Bar Harbor and graduated from MDIHS. After living in other parts of the country, I returned to the island in my early twenties, got married, built my house, and had two children.
I have held many jobs that have given me a variety of life experiences. My favorite jobs were on the water and I earned my captain’s license which resulted in working in the tourism industry on a tour boat and in the fishing industry. I also made snow at Sugarloaf when the tourism season ended on the island.
My first steady job was boat building in Manset. I quickly realized to be able to afford a home on this island, I was going to have to build my own house. I worked for a contractor for a few years to learn the trade, then went out on my own.
Growing up on the island and raising my children here, instilled a love of hiking and the outdoors. Both children moved to large cities after college graduation. My daughter has already moved back because there is no place like the island and my son is hoping to move closer in the next couple years. Many of their high school friends have also returned.
Retirement has escaped me as I have been lured back into the work force by my local customers.
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
Why are you running?
I care for the town and its residents.
We asked this last year, but I think it’s really important to ask again. Do you have any ideas for increasing revenue to the town and alleviating the tax burden on property owners? Do you have any ideas for decreasing expenses?
Have a Local Option Tax …
Some communities have a VALUE ADDED TAX associated with lodging. I don’t know if it is possible, but the state is hesitant to do a local option tax. It would be something worth pursuing locally, if possible.
The lawsuits against the town are really lawsuits against all the residents since the legal bills are paid with tax revenue and the town is continuing to defend positions taken by the residents. Reducing the lawsuits will ease the drain on cash.
I also think we need to look closer at spending.
What skills do you bring to the table?
I have common sense and historic knowledge of the town. I also pay attention to constituents concerns and hopefully they have been happy with my voting.
What is it about Bar Harbor that you love?
I was born and raised here…. It is in my DNA.
What do you think is the most important issue facing Bar Harbor? What are some things that you feel like the town should be focusing on, but isn’t?
Housing is at the top of the list. There are no transitional options. Older residents want to stay here, but there are no options to downsize. If they could downsize, that would open up housing for young families and some larger homes might work well as duplexes for young families.
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 was able to make a living for my family here. It’s not easy and never has been. There used to be various forms of employments. I have had a small business and assisted others with projects all while keeping costs in check.
What am I not asking that I should be?
How do we get certain sectors of the business community to start putting more effort into making the town a better place for year round residents? Having the park here and a municipal infrastructure to facilitate these businesses make it easy to have a successful business.
Just in the last 20 years, the town has seen significant development, improvements, rebuilds and expansions of commercial and residential property, increasing our tax base. Businesses and the Park have had record setting seasons. None of that has translated to a lower tax bill for residents though and with all the success around, you would think it would trickle down.