Approximately 46.6% of town’s voters headed to the polls.

Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar

Jun 10, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank.

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BAR HARBOR — Maya Caines, David Kief, and Deborah Vickers are heading to the Town Council.

The results were announced shortly before midnight, June 9.

Bar Harbor elected three town councilors, seven warrant committee members, and two school committee members and one member of the MDI High School Board of Trustees in an election that also saw voters approve multiple land use ordinance amendments.

Both Caines and Kief were reelected. Caines was the outgoing vice chair. Kief had previously been elected to a one-year term. This was Vickers first time running.

Approximately 46.6% of the voters in Bar Harbor went to the polls. There are currently 4,656 registered voters and 2,171 ballots were cast.

1,680 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary and 369 in the Republican primary.

In 2025, 31.6% of the voters in Bar Harbor went to the polls. There were 4,619 registered voters and 1,462 ballots were cast. Steven Boucher, Earl Brechlin, David Kief, and Randell Sprague were elected. Kief was elected to a one-year term at the time.

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. In 2023, the voter turn out was 30.7% with 1,555 casting ballots.

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THE COUNCIL RESULTS

There were seven candidates running for three three-year Town Council positions.

Candidate vote totals were:

• Maya Caines – 1,182
• David Kief – 900
• Bryce Lambert – 413
• Paul Saltysiak – 619
• Charles Sidman – 471
• Deborah Vickers – 825
• Nathan Young – 706

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SUPERINTENDING SCHOOL COMMITTEE RESULTS

Two candidates vied for two three-year seats on Bar Harbor’s School Committee.

They were unopposed and elected into office.

• Alana Beard – 1,386
• Misha Mytar – 1,284

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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.

Carol Chappell, Erin Cough, John O’Brien, Deborah Parsons, and Kathleen St. Denis were elected to those three-year positions.

• Carol Chappell – 1,052
• Erin Cough – 987
• John O’Brien – 784
• Deborah Parsons – 1,104
• Edmund Ryan – 667
• Kathleen St. Denis – 1,127

There were two seats for one-year terms available. Kevin Knopp and Christine Smith were elected.

• Kevin Knopp – 830
• Ariel Viktor Qadesh – 544
• Christine Smith – 1,155

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MDI HIGH SCHOOL TRUSTEE RESULTS

J. Clark Stivers ran unopposed for one seat on the board. He was elected with 1,312 votes.

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WARRANT ARTICLES

Bar Harbor voters decided the fate of multiple land use ordinance amendments as well.

Articles 2 through 6 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 2 – LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT – Holy Redeemer Church – An Amendment to amend the Official Neighborhood Districts Map by rezoning the Holy Redeemer Church from the Mount Desert Street Corridor District to the Downtown Residential District,” passed 1,636 to354.

Article 3 – LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT – Design Review – “An amendment to clarify the design review standards and process” passed 1,665 to 298.

Article 4 – LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT – Campgrounds and Private Campsites – “An amendment to definitions and standards for Campgrounds and Private Campsites” passed 1,598 to 368.

Article 5 – LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT – Minimum Area Per Family – “An amendment to remove the minimum area per family requirement in certain zoning districts” passed 1,500 to 486.

Article 6 – LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT – Lodging Regulations – “An amendment to revise lodging definitions, establish minimum guest unit requirements and maximum transient guest limits for certain lodging uses, and remove some lodging uses from certain districts,” passed 1,500 to 496.

For more information about the proposed land use ordinance amendments, see the Land Use Information page.

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