Nina Barufaldi St.Germain

Bar Harbor Town Council Candidates

NINA BARUFALDI ST.GERMAIN

THE BIO

Nina Barufaldi St.Germain is a seasoned entrepreneur and dedicated community leader, poised to bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to Bar Harbor. With an educational background in English and creative writing, complemented by robust business experience, Nina owns and manages several key establishments in the community including Devon Cottage, Jack Russell’s Steakhouse, and Pathmaker Hotel.

Prior to entering the campaign, Nina served as a contract employee for the Town of Bar Harbor, where she spearheaded numerous initiatives aimed at increasing resident participation in local government. Notably, she organized public discussions in collaboration with the National Institute for Civil Discourse on critical issues such as housing solutions, the municipal budget, and the impact of cruise ships. Her efforts in launching and managing POLCO, a public polling platform, further demonstrate her commitment to fostering civic engagement.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nina took a proactive role by writing and managing the Bar Harbor’s Keep ME Healthy grant. She successfully implemented a campaign that distributed tens of thousands of free masks to residents, businesses, and visitors, while simultaneously managing the Bar Harbor Covid Update—a vital resource that provided timely information from various health and community organizations.

Nina is driven by a vision where the community unites for a common cause. She believes that despite apparent divisions, the community is more closely aligned than it appears. Her dedication to the big picture and her ability to remain focused on tasks are qualities that make her a strong candidate for Bar Harbor.

A lover of dogs, an accomplished baker, and an outdoor enthusiast, Nina lives a life as vibrant and diverse as the community she aims to serve. With a track record of effective leadership and a deep commitment to her community, Nina is ready to ensure that Bar Harbor thrives as a cohesive, vibrant, and inclusive community.

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THE QUESTIONS

Why do you think so many people are running this year?

Is it a lot? I wish it was even more. Bar Harbor is a unique community with diverse and important interests. Six people are responding to their vision of what they think they can offer Bar Harbor and I think the competition is great.

Why are you running? How does your why for running delve into your bigger life purpose?

That’s the big question. I’m running for Town Council because I believe there is a pathway to greater community alignment than what some may perceive from local reports or social media discussions. Our community deserves leadership that deeply understands and represents its diverse voices and concerns. Sometimes it feels like there’s a lot of noise coming from the extremes of both sides and the bulk of the Town is in the middle looking both ways.

In terms of my larger life purpose, my experience as a self-employed work-from-home and stay-at-home mom has given me some unique insights into the challenges and needs of families and businesses in our community.

I strongly believe that if women want more representation and influence in shaping our society, we should step forward and seize opportunities to lead. My candidacy is about taking that step, not just for my own empowerment, but to ensure that our governance reflects the strength and diversity of all community members.

How would you try to create more trust between people not on town boards/committees and those who are?

I would encourage decisions designed to unify the town as opposed to polarizing the town.  One particular item is that our town is only as good as our documents and policies.  When documents are unclear it leaves room for many interpretations. The best leadership we can give is clarifying our documents and then adhering to them. I also think being accessible is important.

What are some things that you feel like the town should be focusing on, but isn’t?

Interestingly, I think we should tackle fewer things but with greater intentionality.

While we have many important issues in Bar Harbor, I think it’s easy to get distracted from the big picture. The approach of focusing on fewer, more intentional actions is a strategic way to address complex issues. It helps prevent spreading resources too thin and allows for more significant impacts in targeted areas.

I believe we want Bar Harbor to be a healthy, climate friendly, year round community for all ages and demographics. There are voices in favor of de-development and halting development that threatens our ability to be a place where this can happen, as both of these options will cause housing and business prices to increase, preventing opportunities for the lower and middle classes.

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?

The planning department says that there is demand for 616 new year round housing units. We should act swiftly to reduce minimum lot sizes, reduce height restrictions, and decrease area per family calculations in areas where there are services or adequate land to encourage this development. Increasing the number of housing units increases the tax base.

I’d like to pursue a local options tax with specific protections in mind. This will likely get our business community on board and lead to real change for Bar Harbor and coastal communities up and down the state who are in similar positions. I think that I could be useful in this conversation on the State level with my experience at the Chamber of Commerce.

Our town collects meaningful budget revenue from tourism. I have heard there will likely be a “repeal and replace” Land Use Ordinance for Cruise Ships that is easier to enforce and accommodates controlled cruise visitation. Many voters were not aware that limiting disembarkation to only 1,000 passengers per day would effectively prevent the larger cruise lines from visiting Bar Harbor. This would staunch the budget wound created by the citizen’s initiative.

What skills do you bring to the table that you think other candidates might not bring?

I am good at finding the middle on many issues. In fact, I think just asking the question, “What’s a reasonable approach?”

I believe the best deals are the ones where both sides are uncomfortable, yet satisfied with the outcome.

What is it about Bar Harbor that you love?

Obviously, the spring sunshine. The solitude of winter. The wild of summer. The shore path. My friends. The schools. The park in my backyard. By the time I arrived in Bar Harbor at 19, I had already moved nine times. I moved up here fresh out of high school to live with my brother and sister in law. She was at COA, my brother worked at Don’s (Hannaford), and I went to work at Cadillac Mountain Sports. I tried leaving once when I was 24 but then I came back like a boomerang.

What is it that worries you?

That for a small town we seem to have unnecessary strife. I’m sure some would argue for its necessity, but I think many of us are primed to argue because of the constant pressures of social media and the hyperbole of news outlets.

What have you done for yourself that you’re the most proud of?

Raising my three kids, that’s probably a cliche, but they are my compass.

What have you done for the community that you’re the most proud of?

I’m proud of the Covid-Mask-Mailbox Program which made the community feel more confident about having visitors here during Covid. I also found great meaning in doing the Island Story Slam, My Desert Island Podcast, and Love Letters of MDI.

What’s a question that I should be asking you that I’m not asking?

Tell me about how you are a team player?

Link to find out more about Nina.

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