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VOTE NO ON FOUR
After reading last week’s Viewpoints (in the Mount Desert Islander), I felt like I might be living in an alternate universe. The headings alone were amazing.
One heading was “Vote Yes on Question 4 for a balanced solution”. Well perhaps UNBALANCED in favor of the cruise ships which have had a heyday getting their way with the so-called compromise. The Town Council has very snugly negotiated on behalf of the town with a 3200 LBC (lower berth capacity), which actually could be over four thousand passengers a day allowed to come off.
The other viewpoint was entitled “Put voters in the cruise ship driver’s seat”. As far as putting voters in the driver’s seat I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean. Does it mean that somehow magically town residents will have some sort of control in the future cruise ship industry vis a vie Bar Harbor? Excuse me, but that’s what we voted in 2022. Our current law ALREADY gives us that control, but it has not been implemented to this day! We are due millions of dollars in unpaid fines from cruise ships because the law has not been enforced. The law we voted into place states that all passengers over 1,000 passengers per day will incur a $100/per person fine. We haven’t seen any of that.
The statement that approving Article 4 will return control of the cruise ship industry to the residents of Bar Harbor is exactly the OPPOSITE of what will happen. If you vote yes on Article 4, it will include the five-year contracts with cruise ships that have already been drawn up and signed and NOT agreed to by town residents. The contracts also allow the cruise ships to control how the money we make is used. The contracts take away the ability of town residents to have a say in how many passengers may come off into town.
The contracts say Town Council (or any future council) if that council agrees, cannot make changes without the agreement of the other signatories of the contracts. Otherwise council can cancel the contracts, which also needs a town meeting vote. The cruise ships must agree to change the cap. Why would they? Oh, but wait, even if (and that’s a big if) the Town Council agrees to request changes and if (and that’s an even bigger if) the cruise ships agree to change the cap, that change will only occur after the already signed five-year contracts are over! This means the year 2029! Please vote no on #4 and keep residents in control of OUR land, OUR town.
Norene Hunter is a resident of Bar Harbor
Editor’s Note: the Viewpoints referenced were in an early October edition of the Islander. We received this letter this week for inclusion. It has previously been printed in the Islander.
I completely agree! Thanks for putting it in a manner everyone should understand.