Bar Harbor Election Results!

Carrie Jones

Jun 10, 2025

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Correction in the title! The changes did not hold! The only change is in the headline.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Margo H. Stanley Real Estate.

BAR HARBOR— Steven Boucher, Earl Brechlin, David Kief, and Randell Sprague are heading to the town council.

Bar Harbor elected four town councilors, five warrant committee members, and two school committee members in an election that also saw voters approve the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan, which had been years in the making, and pass multiple land use ordinance amendments.

Approximately 31.6% of the voters in Bar Harbor went to the polls. There are currently 4,619 registered voters and 1,462 ballots were cast.

In 2023, the voter turn out was 30.7% with 1,555 casting ballots. In 2024, there were 1,614 votes cast for a turnout of 31% and voters reelected Joe Minutolo and Gary Friedmann to their council seats.

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THE COUNCIL RESULTS

Due to the resignations of former councilors Friedmann (now a state legislator) and Kyle Shank (who has moved for employment reasons) earlier this year, there were three different races for four town council seats and eight candidates running for those positions. Those positions have different term lengths.

Steven Boucher, Jr., Earl Brechlin (incumbent), and Nathan Young ran for two available seats for three-year terms. Voters put Boucher and Brechlin into the positions.

Kevin Knopp, Randell Sprague (incumbent), and Diane Vreeland ran for the one seat available for the two-year term. Sprague was elected.

David Kief and Nina St.Germain ran for the one seat available for the one-year term. Kief was elected.

TWO THREE-YEAR TERMS

• Steven Boucher – 700
• Earl Brechlin – 993
• Nathan Young – 617

ONE TWO-YEAR TERM

• Kevin Knopp – 475
• Randell Sprague – 639
• Diane Vreeland – 257

ONE ONE-YEAR TERM

• David Kief – 848
• Nina St.Germain – 562

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SUPERINTENDING SCHOOL COMMITTEE RESULTS

In the most straight forward of all the days’ elections, three candidates vied for two three-year seats on Bar Harbor’s School Committee.

Incumbent Tyson Starling faced Tracey Neel and Carlyle “Bear” Paul who both hoped to nab the seat vacated by resigning Chair Lilea Simis who chose to focus her school-related volunteering on fundraising efforts for the new Conners Emerson School, which is currently under construction.

Voters elected Neel and Starling.

• TRACEY NEEL – 541
• CARLYLE “BEAR” PAUL – 352
• TYSON STARLING – 520

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WARRANT COMMITTEE RESULTS

There were five seats up for grabs for full three-year terms on Bar Harbor’s warrant committee, which reviews the budget for town meeting and makes recommendations on that and various land use article amendments.

Two seats were open because Julie Berberian, the current vice chair, chose not to run and Jeffrey Young also chose not to run again.

Incumbents running again for the three-year terms were Robert Chaplin, Louise Lopez, Eben Salvatore, and Vicky Smith. Smith was appointed to fill the remainder of Meagan Kelly’s term when Kelly was appointed to the town council to fill out the remainder of a departing councilor’s term.

Tammy Bloom, John Kelly, and Timothy Smith are also running for those three-year terms. John Kelly has served on the warrant committee previously.

Tammy Bloom, Bob Chaplin, John Kelly, Louise Lopez, and Victoria Smith were elected to those three-year positions.

• Tammy Bloom – 767
• Robert Chaplin – 816
• John Kelly – 773
• Louise Lopez – 674
• Eben Salvatore – 482
• Timothy Smith – 366
• Vicky Smith – 672

There is one seat for the two-year term available. Michael Good is running for that seat against Meagan Kelly. Both have previously served on the committee.

Kelly was elected for that two-year term.

• Michael Good – 404
• Meagan Kelly – 824

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MDI HIGH SCHOOL TRUSTEE RESULTS

Andrew Flanagan ran unopposed for his seat and was elected with 1,003 votes. Another seat remains open.

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WARRANT ARTICLES

Bar Harbor voters decided the fate of multiple land use ordinance amendments as well as the town’s proposed comprehensive plan. The plan is meant to be a document that guides Bar Harbor’s future. It can be viewed here. The town also has created a comprehensive plan page.

The comprehensive plan passed 1,131-235 and all the land use ordinance amendments passed.

Articles 3 through 8 on the ballot focus on proposed land use amendments. The planning board and town council both held public hearings about those amendments earlier this year.

Article 3 “Offensive Language” takes the word “grandfathered” out of the ordinance where it refers to legal nonconformity. It passed 1,035-341.

Article 4 “Salisbury Cove Corridor, Minimum Front Setback” would decrease the front setback for lots in the Salisbury Cove Corridor that have frontage on Route 3. The front setback is a distance of land that can’t be built on in a lot. It would make the front setback distance a minimum of 75 feet, which is consistent with a neighboring zone. It passed 862-468.

Article 5 “Time Frames and Phasing” doubles the time for “a project to commence once approved from six to 12 months.” It also allows more time for a project to be ruled substantially complete (from 18 to 24 months once started), removes a Hancock County Registry of Deeds requirement notice that an approval has expired, makes developers “demonstrate to the planning board why a phase development approval should be considered by submitting a comprehensive and detailed phasing plan proposal to show that the size and/or complexity of the development are better suited to a phased approach” and allows the planning board to consider phase development “for a project when public facilities are lacking as long as the developer provides a town-approved plan to provide adequate public facilities,” according to the town’s website. It also extends “the maximum length of the phasing period from three years to four years,” the town says. It passed 1,146-207.

Article 6 “Multifamily I and Multifamily II Definitions” clears up language to show that “the uses known as multifamily I and multifamily II are not intended to be separate, detached single-family buildings on the same lot but structures that contain multiple separate living units for residential use such as but not limited to triplex, quadplex, and town houses,” the town explains. It passed 1,102-233.

Article 7 “Short-term Rental” would get rid of a transition clause that’s no longer needed, but was necessary when the changes were introduced; remove an unneeded definition of vacation rental as well as the homestead exemption language, which is no longer used. It would also delete language about length of stay “from the definition of Vacation Rental-1 and Vacation Rental-2 and, instead, would address ‘length of stay’ as a stand-alone matter. The minimum length of stay would not change.” Also the town writes that it would “refine the definition of primary residence and place the determination of adequate proof of Primary Residence in Chapter 174 Short-term Rental Registration.” It passed 906-489.

Article 8 “Fire Protection” would remove the requirement that “subdivision lots that have access to a public water supply be no more than 500 feet from a fire hydrant.” Instead, the distance would be 1,000 feet. It passed 1,091-274.

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All photos: Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story

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