Hoping To Help a Community Thrive
Cali Martinez Steps Up As Bar Harbor's First Housing and Community Planner
BAR HARBOR—The town’s Planning Department has made some changes as its staff planner, Cali Martinez, becomes the town’s first Housing and Community Planner and Max Moreno has accepted Martinez’ previous position of staff planner. The position was approved by voters at the June 2023 town meeting and was introduced during last year’s budget process.
Martinez had been on both the Bar Harbor Planning Board and Comprehensive Planning Committee prior to becoming staff planner, taking the position last held by Steve Fuller this past March. Fuller had left earlier this year to become an editor at the Ellsworth American.
“I am so excited to see Cali taking this job. She knows the community and the issues we are facing. Cali is a graduate of COA and knows firsthand how hard it is to find affordable year-round housing and the stress of having to move often. Her knowledge, personality, and problem-solving abilities makes her a great fit for the position,” Gagnon said.
The community and housing planner’s mission is to enhance housing opportunities in Bar Harbor while collaborating closely with various organizations to meet local and regional housing needs. Responsibilities revolve around developing and implementing effective housing policies and initiatives.
Martinez is a 2022 graduate of the College of the Atlantic.
Moreno will start in early November. He is a recent graduate of Binghamton University with a major in Environmental Studies: Sustainable Systems.
“We are looking forward to Max joining our team,” Planning Director Michele Gagnon said.
THE QUICK INTERVIEW
Martinez graciously agreed to answer a couple quick questions. Those are below.
I was wondering if you’re excited about the new position and why.
I am very excited to begin work as the Housing and Community Planner for Bar Harbor. I’m also aware that there is A LOT of work to do.
Housing in Bar Harbor, MDI, Hancock County, and all areas of Maine is in crisis. It’s definitely a mountain to climb, but it’s a necessary task. Much has already been done and the progress gives me confidence that positive change is possible.
I feel lucky to be a part of a community that has such a vast amount of experience and knowledge, not only in the planning office, but also in the Council and the supporting committees and boards; I will not be tackling these issues alone.
The necessary solutions will require collaborative efforts and active communities. As a Bar Harbor resident since 2018, I have personally struggled finding year-round, affordable housing. Finding secure housing should not be this stressful, especially for people who want to create a life and be a part of the community here on MDI. I am looking forward to working on these issues with everyone.
Cali, can you tell me why you love planning so much—if you do? When I see your interactions on all the board levels and with members of the public, it seems like you have a passion for it.
I love planning because it’s so multifaceted. Most people have no idea what city planners do, even my own family doesn’t fully understand what I do.
It makes me laugh because I see planners as the foundation of every community, yet I think planners are misunderstood. I like to think of planners as the mangers of a delicate ecosystem. Planners make sure all the diverse players are in harmony with each other in a way where they all have an opportunity to thrive.
Planners need to be big picture thinkers, which is what I love most about planning. They are people who can see the vision, and fit all the puzzle pieces (e.g. fire department, code enforcement, Town Council, public works, legislators, businesses, residents, workers, etc.) together to create the picture the community wants to see.
A planner also needs to be a mediator. Planners cannot create a cohesive vision unless they know how to balance all the differing and seemingly opposite opinions, needs, desires, and fears. The balance is about having the ability to see and understand multiple sides of one issue and focusing on the commonalities and the overall common goals.
This is where my love of psychology comes into play. I don’t think you can be a great planner if you don’t love to understand people on a deep level. Planning can get really emotional, especially when it comes to topics as personal as housing. People want to feel heard and see that their concerns are being addressed. I’ve had many people throughout my life tell me I should be therapist, and I like to think my love of people and my desire to understand makes me well suited to be a planner. I’ve always enjoyed being a mediator and planning has always felt like a natural fit for me.
Thanks so much, Cali! Good luck in your new role!
Apologies to the Musson Group! When we received the photo of Cali Martinez, we didn’t know it had originated from the organization and that it wanted attribution. They take a good photo. The photo caption has been updated to show this.