Eben Salvatore
THREE-YEAR TERM, BAR HARBOR WARRANT COMMITTEE
EBEN’S BIO
Born in Bar Harbor and have lived on MDI my entire life.
YMCA Board
Chamber Board
Coach basketball, baseball and football
THE QUESTIONS
What inspired you to run for warrant committee?
I have served previously in addition to the three-year term that just concluded. I have seen firsthand the importance of understanding how our budget works and what it takes to balance the needs of the community and the ability to afford it.
What are your thoughts on tax-payer-based spending in Bar Harbor?
That is always front and center of every budget cycle. We spend a lot of time reviewing every line item to make sure we are recommending the most beneficial use of our tax dollars. The last few budget cycles were challenging as we were absorbing the full school bond at the same time we were losing most of the cruise ship revenue. That double whammy definitely had an impact on the tax bill. It’s hard to tolerate any double digit tax increase.
What are your thoughts about redirecting parking fee revenues to non-parking-related budget items?
I have always supported that idea. I am proud to have served on the committee that developed the paid parking program. We worked very hard to make sure it was as beneficial as it could be. The amount of tax relief that the parking fees provide is enormous. The details are tab 5 of our budget if anyone is interested in exactly where the revenue goes.
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?
I have 30 years of experience working with our Land Use Ordinance. I think my experience is helpful when we review land use amendments and how they can impact our community. Also having lived here my entire life I have seen some ideas that didn’t work so well. Sometimes preventing history from repeating is a good thing.
Why should voters trust you to represent their interests effectively?
I would point to the FY 25 budget process. The initial presentation was an almost 20% increase, which I found unacceptable. I reviewed the entire budget and prepared 55 separate motions to present to the Warrant Committee. Some of them were not easy and many of them didn’t pass. The ones that did were part of the reason the tax hit was reduced and I feel like I did the best I could for the tax payer.