Committee looks to fill two vacant seats.

Carrie Jones

Jun 30, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.

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BAR HARBOR—Meg Kelly, Chris Smith, and Louise Lopez will lead Bar Harbor’s Warrant Committee this year.

After the June election of multiple returning and new members, the Bar Harbor Warrant Committee organized itself, Jun 29. The board still, however, isn’t full.

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

At the June 29 meeting, the committee members first took their oath of office, which was administered by Town Clerk, Liz Graves.

Past Vice Chair Meg Kelly was nominated for chair. She was unanimously elected. There were no other nominees.

Past Chair Chris Smith was unanimously elected to vice chair. There were no other nominees.

Louise Lopez unanimously was selected again to be secretary.

“There are two vacancies on the committee. We will need to set and advertise these two vacancies and set a deadline,” Graves said.

One of the two vacancies is Bob Chaplin’s seat. Chaplin, a former teacher and Warrant Committee member (and Education Subcommittee chair) died earlier this year.

Bailey Stillman has resigned.

The Warrant Committee will appoint applicants to fill the remainder of both men’s terms. That will occur at a future meeting.

There will likely be a special town meeting in November, Graves, said.

“Although we can fill his seat physically, we won’t be able to replace him,” Kelly said.

The application for boards and committees has been “vastly changed’ by the council, Graves said.

The school reorganization plan will likely be before the voters in November. Graves will work with a timeline for meetings for the Warrant Committee to have an opportunity to review any of the questions that will come before the voters then.

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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.”

According to the bylaws, the Warrant Committee’s duty is to “consider, investigate, and report upon (with recommendations or comments) all articles, except those dealing with the election of candidates, in the warrant of all Town Meetings, whether annual or special.”

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 council’s deadline for items on the warrant for the November election is in August.

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LINK TO LEARN MORE

Warrant Committee page

The RPC invites you to a Community Reorganization Meeting

Tuesday, June 30th

5:30-7:00 pm

MDIHS Auditorium

Here is the link to listen to the presentation.

Photos: Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story.

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