Angela Chamberlain. Tina Stein.

Jun 14, 2026

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

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CONCERNS ABOUT BAR HARBOR PLANNING BOARD PROCESS

I would like to express my concern regarding the process that has recently been used to discuss and develop recommendations related to lodging issues in Bar Harbor.

It is my understanding that approximately ten recent meetings on this topic have been held at times when many residents are working and cannot attend. Compounding the problem, these workshops have not been recorded or live streamed, leaving those who cannot attend with no meaningful way to observe the discussion, understand the issues being considered, or follow how recommendations were developed.

I would encourage the Town Council to take a hard look at this recent practice and consider whether important policy discussions should be held at times that are accessible to working residents and whether workshops should be recorded or live streamed. These concerns extend beyond the current lodging discussions and apply equally to future ordinance amendments and other significant policy initiatives. If the Town truly values public participation, then the process should be structured to encourage it rather than unintentionally discourage it.

I find it troubling that a seven-member board, working with staff, appears to be developing solutions to complex community issues without first ensuring meaningful public participation. No matter how capable, knowledgeable, or well-intentioned the individuals involved may be, no small group can reasonably claim to represent the full range of perspectives that exist within the community.

Perhaps most concerning is the perception that decisions are being made before the public has had an opportunity to weigh in. Whether that is the intent or not, when discussions occur during the workday, are not recorded, and recommendations are developed before meaningful outreach occurs, it leaves residents feeling that the outcome has largely been decided and that public input is being sought only after the fact. Public participation should help develop proposed solutions, not simply provide comments on recommendations that have already been formulated.

The issue is not whether Planning Board members or staff have worked hard. The issue is whether the public has been given a genuine opportunity to participate in the conversation before recommendations are developed.

Equally concerning is the message this process sends to younger residents, working families, and those who may someday wish to volunteer for local boards and committees. Meeting schedules that routinely occur during standard working hours are largely accessible only to retirees, individuals with flexible schedules, or those fortunate enough to be able to leave work during the day. If the Town hopes to attract a diverse group of volunteers for its boards and committees, it should provide opportunities for participation that are realistically accessible to the broader working population.

If someone with a full-time job wanted to follow these discussions, attend workshops, or volunteer to serve, this meeting schedule would make that difficult, if not impossible. We should be looking for ways to increase participation, not creating barriers that discourage it.

I am not suggesting that every meeting be held in the evening, but I would encourage the Town Council to establish expectations that workshops be scheduled at times accessible to working residents, that discussions be recorded or live streamed whenever possible, and that meaningful public outreach occur before recommendations are substantially developed.

Angie Chamberlain

Bar Harbor

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OBLIGATION TO RESPOND WITH COMPASSION

To the Editor:

This summer, as visitors fill our trails and retail establishments, many of the workers who make that possible face a new and dangerous reality. The $70 billion immigration enforcement bill signed into law this week gives ICE a budget that now dwarfs the FBI, the Coast Guard, and the federal prison system combined. That money is already being deployed. Increased enforcement activity is expected throughout Maine, including in communities like Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth.

Our immigrant neighbors and coworkers are part of our community. They are the people cleaning your hotel room, staffing the kitchen at your favorite restaurant, and providing care to the elderly throughout the state. What happens to them affects us all.

As a community, we have an obligation to respond with the same compassion and neighborliness that defines life here. That means knowing what ICE agents are and are not legally permitted to do, understanding the rights of those around us, and learning how to connect people to legal resources quickly should the need arise. Local businesses must educate their employees about their rights. Community venues must open their doors to speakers who can provide clear, reliable guidance.

This is not about partisan politics. It is about the kind of community we are and want to remain. Preparedness is not protest. It is prudence. The same proactive philosophy that drives our emergency weather planning, our volunteer fire departments, and our mutual aid networks applies here.

Practical preparedness guides (like the one pictured here) covering everything from creating emergency contact pods to knowing ones rights if approached by ICE are already circulating in our community and are available through ILAPMaine.org, airlegal.org, and Immigrantjustice.org. The Red Card (pictured below) can be tucked into the bottom fold of the flyer. Copy them. Share them. And, if you are a business owner, a faith community, or civic group looking to do more, those organizations can point you in the right direction.

Our immigrant neighbors deserve a community which has their back.

A community preparedness guide already in circulation on Mount Desert Island outlines practical steps for immigrant residents and their neighbors from creating emergency contact networks to knowing your rights if approached by ICE. Resources like this are available through ILAPMaine.org, airlegal.org, and immigrantjustice.org.

The “Red Card” can be tucked into the bottom fold of the preparedness flyer. It is handed to an ICE agent in lieu of speaking and asserts constitutional rights without a word.

Tina Stein

Bar Harbor area