Huh? I thought the author and her family of this article has been living and developing tourist hotels and restaurants…oops , mega B and B’s in Bar Harbor for decades. Dare I say this blatantly opinion letter is highly self serving?
Has she forgotten that the very corporations she praises that only under public pressure and zoning finally built some seasonal housing after years of using
unsafe houses in BH to stuff code breaking numbers of their seasonal workers into? Remember the life threatening fires at these death traps…
Moreover, has she forgotten how these very corporations heartlessly evicted BH year round residents from numerous affordable and low income apartments ..Acadia Apartments, Pleasant Street, etc., ? Those residents were forced out into a cold world of searching for a roof over their heads somewhere….certainly not in their home town.
It is not a “war on tourism”. The good people of Bar Harbor simply want a decent place to call home with a community of year round neighbors.
For to long tourism and the many tourism businesses in Bar Harbor has been vilified in the press, in town meetings and workshops far out of proportion to its overall contribution to our vibrant community.
Ms. St. Germain makes the valid argument tourism businesses can, does and, in the future, will help create solutions to our increasing popular vacation destination. And, with the decreasing community return on limiting certain vacation categories, town citizens primed to demand more onerous yet ineffective restrictions replete with unintended consequences will result.
It’s time to bury the invective and seek whole community solutions in order to move forward together instead of what appears as an increasingly unsustainable internecine division.
Never hidden behind anything in my life, captain. I have this account and another one very plainly called "Stephen Coston." I had to create this one because the beacon of feigned localdom & freedom of opinion known as QSJ blocked my regular "Stephen Coston" one. When I use this one I always sign my name or otherwise identify myself.
I am puzzled by your response. I just reread your post regarding St. Germain's letter and I could find no name identifying "Larry" as Stephen Coston. Am I overlooking something?
It appears that this multi personality thing can get pretty tricky. Poor communication skills only make things more difficult. Let me try to sum up my current understanding of the "Larry" quandary. Your real name is Stephen Coston but sometimes you use the pseudonym "Larry" but when you do that you always sign your name as Stephen Coston. All seems sort of counter productive to me. But in this particular instance the comment written by "Larry" defending the somewhat ridiculous rant by Nina St. Germain/Boland is a different Larry than the one you use as a pseudonym whenever you get blocked on the QSJ? Not sure I dare ask what you did to deserve being blocked on the QSJ as that publication has a record of being open to a wide variety of opinions...even nutty ones from businessmen and women who think that the secrete to fixing a town already beset by endless problems caused by too many tourists can "Grow it's way out of the problem" by allowing even more businesses that inevitably lead to more overcrowding. Do yourself and the rest of us a huge favor stop using a pseudonym or at least change it from "Larry."
Sheesh. Heard it all before. Didn't buy it then, don't buy it now.
The premise of this letter is s false claim that there is "a war on tourism.'
That is the rhetoric of propaganda which tries to obscure and distort the facts. All which follows from the premise is also propaganda.
The majority of Bar Harbor voters want a sustainable balance of tourisms. That is not "a war." It is sound stewardship and advance planning.
Huh? I thought the author and her family of this article has been living and developing tourist hotels and restaurants…oops , mega B and B’s in Bar Harbor for decades. Dare I say this blatantly opinion letter is highly self serving?
Has she forgotten that the very corporations she praises that only under public pressure and zoning finally built some seasonal housing after years of using
unsafe houses in BH to stuff code breaking numbers of their seasonal workers into? Remember the life threatening fires at these death traps…
Moreover, has she forgotten how these very corporations heartlessly evicted BH year round residents from numerous affordable and low income apartments ..Acadia Apartments, Pleasant Street, etc., ? Those residents were forced out into a cold world of searching for a roof over their heads somewhere….certainly not in their home town.
It is not a “war on tourism”. The good people of Bar Harbor simply want a decent place to call home with a community of year round neighbors.
I don't buy it, this letter reads like hotel industry propaganda mailer.
Well said Ms. St. Germain.
For to long tourism and the many tourism businesses in Bar Harbor has been vilified in the press, in town meetings and workshops far out of proportion to its overall contribution to our vibrant community.
Ms. St. Germain makes the valid argument tourism businesses can, does and, in the future, will help create solutions to our increasing popular vacation destination. And, with the decreasing community return on limiting certain vacation categories, town citizens primed to demand more onerous yet ineffective restrictions replete with unintended consequences will result.
It’s time to bury the invective and seek whole community solutions in order to move forward together instead of what appears as an increasingly unsustainable internecine division.
Is this the same Larry as was recently uncovered as actually a pen name behind which Steve Coston hides? Inquiring minds want to know!
Never hidden behind anything in my life, captain. I have this account and another one very plainly called "Stephen Coston." I had to create this one because the beacon of feigned localdom & freedom of opinion known as QSJ blocked my regular "Stephen Coston" one. When I use this one I always sign my name or otherwise identify myself.
-Stephen Coston
I am puzzled by your response. I just reread your post regarding St. Germain's letter and I could find no name identifying "Larry" as Stephen Coston. Am I overlooking something?
Yes, you are overlooking the fact that I am not Larry.
-Stephen Coston
It appears that this multi personality thing can get pretty tricky. Poor communication skills only make things more difficult. Let me try to sum up my current understanding of the "Larry" quandary. Your real name is Stephen Coston but sometimes you use the pseudonym "Larry" but when you do that you always sign your name as Stephen Coston. All seems sort of counter productive to me. But in this particular instance the comment written by "Larry" defending the somewhat ridiculous rant by Nina St. Germain/Boland is a different Larry than the one you use as a pseudonym whenever you get blocked on the QSJ? Not sure I dare ask what you did to deserve being blocked on the QSJ as that publication has a record of being open to a wide variety of opinions...even nutty ones from businessmen and women who think that the secrete to fixing a town already beset by endless problems caused by too many tourists can "Grow it's way out of the problem" by allowing even more businesses that inevitably lead to more overcrowding. Do yourself and the rest of us a huge favor stop using a pseudonym or at least change it from "Larry."
My only account other than "Stephen Coston" is this one, "admin." I am not nor have I ever been Larry. I have no other accounts.
-Stephen Coston