Knopp takes Barbara Dunphey’s seat
Jan 06, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.
BAR HARBOR—At a special January 6 meeting, the Bar Harbor Warrant Committee unanimously appointed Kevin Knopp to fill the remainder of Barbara Dunphey’s term.
“I want to thank the committee members for appointing me to this important position. I am glad that I will be able to serve our community in yet another capacity and I am really looking forward to working alongside the other committee members,” Knopp said Monday. “I hope to be a part of ensuring that the voters can trust the recommendations we present to them.”
Dunphey’s resignation was sent in via a November 10 email to the town council, town manager, town finance director, and town clerk.
In it she wrote that she was immediately resigning for personal reasons and thanked for the opportunity to serve.
Knopp’s appointment is until July 2026.
He currently serves on the housing authority board and board of assessment review. He is a board member of Island Connections and ran for town council in 2025.
On his application, Knopp wrote, “As a candidate for town council, the issues that I ran on included keeping our property taxes under control. To me, this is a critical part of keeping our community healthy and thriving by protecting residents and residential areas, and it is a critical part of making housing and living in Bar Harbor affordable.”
Knopp spent his working life in accounting, budgeting, financial analysis, and reporting. When he retired in 2018, he was a corporate controller for a defense contractor.
Knopp was the only applicant. Warrant committee members Kevin DesVeaux and Bob Chaplin did not attend.
Dunphey and her husband, Guy, (who serves on the town’s planning board) moved to Bar Harbor permanently in 2017 after decades camping on the island. They’d purchased a home prior to that in 2006. Dunphey had extensive auditing and financial analysis experience. She was elected to the warrant committee in 2024 to a three-year term. That term ends in 2027. In June, voters will elect someone to finish that term.
WHAT IS THE WARRANT COMMITTEE ABOUT?
According to the town’s charter (article VII), the 15-member committee is elected and comprised of people who are “qualified to vote in elections in the Town of Bar Harbor and have been registered to vote for one year prior to their election.”
According to that article:
“It shall be the duty of any duly elected warrant committee to consider, investigate and report upon with recommendations or comments all articles except those dealing with election of candidates in the warrant of all town meetings, whether annual or special. When requested to do so, it shall be the duty of town officers and committees to meet with the warrant committee or any of its subcommittees and to furnish all information relative to matters being considered by said committee or subcommittee.”
Town officers and other committees must give the warrant committee or its subcommittees information about those articles when the committee (or a subcommittee) requests it.
The committee then makes formal recommendations on those warrant articles or the preliminary municipal budget so that the voters can know if they recommend changes to the town’s land use ordinance or the budget or not. A member can also submit a minority report or recommendation at the Annual Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting about any of those articles.
The last appointment to the committee was Elissa Chesler, who took Steven Boucher’s spot when he was elected to the Bar Harbor Town Council in 2025. That seat will also be added to the slate at town meeting.
Chair Christine Smith, Carol Chappell, Kevin DesVeaux, Shaun Farrar, and Allison Sasner all have terms ending in 2026.
Because of the resignations, Bar Harbor voters in June will have the opportunity to elect seven of the 15 warrant committee positions.
Disclosure: Shaun Farrar of the Bar Harbor Story is also on the Bar Harbor Warrant Committee. He is my husband.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Kevin Knopp
Bar Harbor Warrant Committee Looks For New Member.
Follow us on Facebook. And as a reminder, you can easily view all our past stories and press releases here.
Bar Harbor Story is a mostly reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for being here with us and being part of our community too!
You can help us keep bringing you news with no paywalls. No pressure though!
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlyDiscover more from Bar Harbor Story
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.