Who Might Be Running?

Boland, Jennings, Minutolo, St.Germain, and Young take out papers in Bar Harbor

Apr 05, 2024

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Five more candidates have taken out papers for races in Bar Harbor. The deadline for returning papers and being officially on the ballot is April 12.

Michael Boland, Incumbent Joe Minutolo, Nina St.Germain, and Nathan Young have added their names to the list of potential Bar Harbor Town Council candidates.

Gary “Bo” Jennings has taken out papers for a Warrant Committee seat.

The following offices will be elected by the voters at the June 10, 2024 town election:

Bar Harbor Town Council Two seats – three-year term
Superintending School Committee One seat– three-year term
MDI High School Trustee One seat – three-year term
MDI High School Trustee One seat - two-year term
Warrant Committee Five seats – three-year term

Nomination papers have been available in the town clerk’s office since March 3. Once papers are pulled, mandatory amounts of signatures of Bar Harbor registered voters must be turned into the town clerk’s office. Those signatures are verified. Then the names of the candidates are put on the ballot. Pulling papers does not mean that a potential candidate will return them.

For the Town Council, Vice Chair Gary Friedmann and Councilor Joe Minutolo have terms that end this year. Minutolo took out papers, Friday, April 5.

So far, Boland, Friedmann, Cosmo Nims, St.Germain, and Charles Sidman have taken out papers. Nims, Sidman, and Young ran in the last election.

For the Warrant Committee, the five members whose terms end are Chair Seth Libby, Meagan Kelly, Kathleen St. Germain, Ezra Sassaman, and Bailey Stillman. Stillman was appointed earlier this year to finish Caleb Cough’s term. Cough had resigned.

Currently, Steve Boucher, Brooke “Zana” Blomquist, Julia “Jules” Cuchelo, Barbara Dunphey, Jennings, Kelly, Elizabeth Lemire, and Stillman have pulled papers. Boucher is also a former committee member. Blomquist ran for Town Council last year. Cuchelo and Lemire both ran for Warrant Committee last year. Jennings ran for Town Council in the last election.

For the Superintending School Committee (Conners Emerson School), Marie Yarborough’s term will end in June. She has pulled papers.

For the MDI High School Board of Trustees, Chair Rob Jordan’s term ends this year and he has pulled papers. Joseph Cough resigned in February.

There are no term limits in Bar Harbor and incumbents can run for reelection.

The deadline for filing nomination papers with the town clerk is April 12, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

DISTRICT 14 HOUSE SEAT—DEMOCRATS

In a letter to House District 14 Democrats, Laurie Fogelman and Lee Cline
chair and secretary of the Hancock County Democratic Committee respectively, wrote,

“We’re writing to let you know that Lynne Williams, our State Representative for HD 14, has resigned from her position in the House and has withdrawn her name from the June primary ballot, effective immediately. She has decided to take another position in state government. We thank her for her service to our district and wish her well in her new role.
“Our Secretary of State has declared a vacancy for this office, and we have a very short window to hold a special caucus to name a successor to appear on the ballot for the June 11 Primary.
“Our nominating caucus will take place on Wednesday, April 10 at 6 pm at the Bar Harbor Municipal Building, 93 Cottage Street in Bar Harbor. All registered Democrats in House District 14 are invited and encouraged to come and cast your vote. Nominations will be taken from the floor.”

Bar Harbor’s Town Council Vice Chair Gary Friedmann has indicated his intent to run for the office.

Elections for the seat are held in November. In 2022, Republican Stephen Coston had challenged Williams for the seat.

According to the Hancock County Republican Chair Kerry Ann McKim, “At this time, we have not had a candidate announce that they are running for the seat.”

MOUNT DESERT

The Mount Desert Islander’s Dick Broom has reported that former Public Works Director Tony Smith will challenge Select Board member Martha Dudman for a seat she’s held since 2011.

For the School Committee, there are two seats available. Chair Brian Henkel is running again for the three-year term. Jamie Whitehead is not. Katherine Emery is running for the seat.

For the MDI High School Board of Trustees, Julianna Reddish-Bennoch is running unopposed for her seat.

Those elections are decided May 6.

SOUTHWEST HARBOR

Luke Damon isn’t seeking reelection for the town’s Select Board. Noah Burby took out papers for Damon’s seat.

For the School Board, Susan Allen and John Bench’s terms ended this year. They are both running again.

For the MDI High School Board of Trustees, Ann Ratcliff’s term ended this year. She is running again.

The election is held at Town Meeting on May 7.

TREMONT

For the Select Board, there are two seats. Both incumbents, Kevin Buck and Eric Eaton, are running again.

For the School Committee, there are two open seats for three-year terms. Incumbents Eliza Bishop and Chair Keri Hayes are both running.

For the MDI High School Board of Trustees, there is one seat. Hayes is running for that seat as well.

Residents vote May 13, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Town Office.

The Town Meeting is on May 14, at 6:30 p.m., at the Town Office.

TRENTON

For the select board, there are two three-year terms. Incumbents John Bennett and Charles Farley Jr. have turned in papers. Carol Perault is also running.

For the school board, there are two seats, both for three-year terms. Vice Chair Aarron Brown and Gary Burr’s seats are up for grabs. Brown is running again. Sue Shattenburg is also running.

Voting will be on Monday May 20 2024 at the Town Office, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Open Town Meeting is May 21 at 6 p.m. at the Trenton School.