Will decide four-way race for two select board seats today

Shaun Farrar and  Carrie Jones

May 06, 2025

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Window Panes Home and Garden.

SOUTHWEST HARBOR—It was Karen Reddersen’s first Southwest Harbor town meeting as town manager and it went well, May 5, as approximately 120 voters gathered at the Pemetic School and agreed on most of the articles. Southwest Harbor’s population was 1,756 at the 2020 census.

A request to have all votes be hand count votes rather than just yay or nay failed. Joe Marshall moderated.

However, a plea from the library director and a board member, successfully restored the library’s original request of $70,000. Last year the library had received $60,000. The recommendation had been for $65,000.

All budget items passed. The town approved an increased amount to the municipal operations portion of the budget of $3,632,521. The total assessment for FY26, which begins July 1, 2025 is approximately $13.5 million.

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GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOL BUDGET

The Southwest Harbor/Tremont Ambulance service had requested $160,000 which was approved. The previous year it had received $105,000. The funding comes from the Tremont police contract with $15,000 funded by taxpayers. The town appropriated $10,000 for the Island Explorer.

A meet and greet before the town meeting ended with a discussion with School Superintendent Mike Zboray about potential school reorganization

The school budget was authorized at a total budget level of $5,484,691 for all other expenditures, which includes transportation, facility needs, school administration, other instruction, student and staff support, and special education and regular instruction. That is an increase from the last total, which was $5,064,665.

The voters appropriated $4,712,030 for K-12 via town appropriation. Last year that amount was $4,261,660. The high school budget increased to just under $2 million.

The Harbor House Youth and Recreation Programs received $68,884; last year it had received $65,640.

Support for other outside agencies (community service organizations) totaled $31,602. The greatest amount ($3,700) was given to the Mount Desert Nursing Association.

The voters also approved appropriating just over half a million dollars for capital improvements. The largest costs were for the Manset dock and property ($127,122) and the highway vehicles and machinery ($116,377).

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TODAY’S ELECTION

The residents of Southwest Harbor will vote for its elected officials at their annual municipal election on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Southwest Harbor Fire Department, 250 Main Street, Southwest Harbor. Polling time is from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

There are also three ordinance changes on the ballot: the shellfish ordinance (brings to state compliance over juvenile license categories), 911 addressing ordinance and subdivision ordinance (mostly to standardize with other town ordinances).

Select Board Candidates

Two seats – three-year term

• Thomas Benson – three-year term
• Natasha Johnson (incumbent) – three-year term
• Dan C. Norwood – three-year term
• James Vallette (incumbent) – three-year term

Pemetic School Committee Candidate

One seat – three-year term

• Jacques H. Newell Taylor – three-year term

MDI High School Board of Trustees Candidate

One seat – three-year term

• Steven L. Hudson (incumbent) – three-year term

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LINKS TO LEARN MORE:

• Town Meeting Warrant
• Election info

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