Plus, who has currently pulled papers in Bar Harbor.

Carrie Jones

Mar 27, 2026

BAR HARBOR—Val Peacock, Bar Harbor’s Town Council Chair, has chosen not to run for reelection this year.

She’s been informally telling people about her decision. She’s chaired the Town Council for the last four years during multiple town projects that look toward housing availability, climate resilience, and through some tumultuous issues such as cruise ship disembarkation changes and lodging moratoriums.

Peacock came to Bar Harbor in 1994 to attend the College of the Atlantic.

Peacock has previously said that she stayed “because of the community and the ocean. Over the years I have worked on boats and in seasonal jobs and traveled.”

She and her family lived in Lamoine for 15 years, before moving back to Bar Harbor in 2016. She’s the cofounder of the Rural Aspirations Project, a nonprofit doing education work across the state.

“The focus of my work is on the connection between education and community vitality,” she’s previously said.

During her time as Council chair, she and her family members were constants at many meetings—not just the Council’s—sitting in the bleachers or folding chairs, books in laps, listening to the work of other task forces, boards, and committees. Prior to being on the Council, she’d served on the Ferry Terminal Advisory Committee and the Harbor Committee.

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OUR QUICK INTERVIEW WITH VALERIE PEACOCK

Why have you decided not to run?

I’ve put in a big six years on the Council. I gave it as much as I could and still feel like I could’ve done more. The way that I want to show up is hard to sustain with a family and actual paying job. It’s time for a break and to just be a regular community member. It’s also a chance to let others lead.

What was/is the best part of being on the Council?

I’ve learned so much about representative democracy- the good parts and the parts that need improvement. I’ve thought a lot about how and why we do things the way we do. And, I have loved getting to know the town staff. They make me proud to be a Bar Harbor resident.

What would you say to people thinking of running/serving?

You should do it. It’s hard, and it will stretch you, but it’s really important work. If you’re wringing your hands, worrying about democracy and our country, one thing you can do is help figure out how to make better decisions together and to rebuild trust in local governance. If you get elected, give yourself some time to learn more about the issues. Knowing what you want is easier than getting it. Of course, people will get mad at you for not taking hard stances, ignore that. Stay off social media, and stay away from people who are active chaos agents.

You’ve talked a lot about community coming together, civility, and compromise? Do you have advice/thoughts to others to promote those goals either on the Council or just at the grocery store.

First, acknowledge that we are all part of the problem and part of the solution. While we need trusted processes and institutions, we also have to question why we do things the way we do. Are they designed for everyone? Do they help us work together or not? There will always be space to improve and work to do. I’ve learned to take deep breaths, to be comfortable with not having the perfect solution (is there one?) and to trust that if I listen for the root causes of problems, I might be able to help someone feel heard and get to better solutions. If you know me, you’ve heard me say that you don’t have to agree with someone to listen to them.

Councilors, much like police officers and medical professionals and first responders, often see the worst of people—their pain, their outrage, their fears—how do you find ways to remember that this isn’t all that people are or that community is?

I’m not going to pretend that the last six years of Bar Harbor town government haven’t been challenging for me. But, I’ve found it really helpful to talk to people informally, in real life. The Council chambers are not designed for open conversations. Emails and texts are easy to misread and create public records that can be taken out of context. Social media is too personal and mean. When I get the chance to actually talk to someone in person, I can ask questions, listen deeper and share more of my perspective. Often, I find myself agreeing with people more than I thought I would. It’s important for me to remember that the decisions I make as a councilor have real impacts on real people.

Do you have any hopes for the future of Bar Harbor?

So many of our problems could be much easier to solve if we stopped fighting against what we don’t want and start working towards what we do want. I hope that Bar Harbor can build on the richness of our resources to be the best we can be. Bar Harbor has problems, but it’s also an amazing place to live.

And what are you going to do with your free time?

Haha, that’s funny.

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BAR HARBOR ELECTIONS

Nomination papers are available at the town’s municipal building on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor for the 13 different seats that will be open. Nomination papers are due back by Friday, April 10, 2026 at 5 p.m.

• Town Council: There are three seats for three-year terms. These seats are Peacock’s, Vice Chair Maya Caines’ and David Kief’s. So far, Kief has pulled papers and not returned them.
• School Board Member: There are two seats for three-year terms. Vice Chair Misha Mytar and Mike Kiers seats expire this June. So far, Mytar has drawn papers. She has not yet returned them.
• MDI High School Trustee: There is one seat for a three-year term. J. Clark Stivers has drawn papers. He has not yet returned them. That seat is currently vacant.
• Warrant Committee: There are five seats for three-year terms and two seats for a one-year term. No one has returned papers though many have drawn them. The three-year seats that expire this June are Chair Christine Smith, Carol Chappell, Kevin DesVeaux, Shaun Farrar, Allison Sasner (currently unfilled due to resignation). The two one-year seats that expire this June are Kevin Knopp’s and Elissa Chesler’s. For the three-year term, Chappell, Debbie Parsons, Eben Salvatore, and Kathleen St.Denis have taken out papers. For the one-year term, Andrew Geel, Knopp, and Smith have taken out papers.

For more information, please contact the town clerk’s office Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., by calling (207) 288-4098. More election resources are here.

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