Town officials adopted formal appointment procedures and reopened recruitment.
Jul 29, 2026
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BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Town Council approved several committee members and an appointments policy at its last meeting and also declared that members of the Board of Assessment Review and Design Review Board must continue until they are reappointed or successors are appointed.
The first two decisions are meant to clean and formalize the town’s policies and procedures around the process to serve on its boards, committees and task force.
The last decision is to help keep the town’s government running.
That’s because, according to the town’s motion, some board members missed the deadline to apply for reappointment. If those members did not stay, those quasi-judicial boards would not have a quorum. Without a quorum, the board’s can’t make decisions.
A quorum is the smallest amount of committee members needed to reach a decision. Usually this is a simple majority. So, if a board has seven members, three make a quorum.
The new stipulation covers Stewart Brecher’s service on the Board of Assessment Review as well as Erin Cough and Barbara Sassaman’s service on the Design Review Board. Cough had been the chair of that board, but was elected to the Warrant Committee by voters this June. Town rules mean that she can no longer serve as chair. Something similar happened to Misha Mytar and Kyle Shank. Both had been on the Comprehensive Plan Committee. Mytar was elected to the School Board. Shank was elected to Town Council.
NEW CHANCE TO APPLY TO SERVE
A new application deadline for another round of appointments for boards, committees, and task forces is set for September 4, 2026.
The applicants also filled out revised applications for appointments this round.
However there were fewer applications received than vacant seats.
HOW PEOPLE ARE APPOINTED
The new five-page policy adjusts committee and board structures in the town.
The policy change was part of the meeting’s “consent agenda,” which is meant for routine items that do not require discussion.
During public comment Charles Sidman said he thought it was improper to have the policy change in that portion of the agenda and asked the councilors to remove it.
It was not removed. There was no discussion. It was unanimously approved.
The Appointments Committee itself is comprised of three councilors who are appointed during the Town Council’s organizational meeting. Councilors serve one-year terms on the committee and can only serve two terms consecutively before they can not serve on that committee for the next three years.
“Its responsibility is to recruit applicants, review qualifications, conduct interviews when appropriate, evaluate applications, and provide recommendations to the Town Council regarding appointments,” the policy explains. “Final appointment authority remains exclusively with the Town Council.”
It also allows the town manager to revise the application form; the Town Council gets to determine whether vacancies should be filled immediately.
“The Committee may recommend one or more applicants for each vacancy, may recommend more applicants than available positions, may recommend re-appointment of incumbent members, may recommend additional recruitment, may recommend that vacancies temporarily remain unfilled, or may decline to make a recommendation when it determines that doing so is appropriate. Nothing contained in this policy limits the authority of any councilor to nominate an eligible applicant during the Council’s consideration of appointments in accordance with the council’s Rules of Procedure,” the policy reads.
The actual appointments occur at the Town Council and are done by the entire council, not the Appointments Committee, though that is comprised of three sitting councilors.
“Vacancies occurring during the course of a term may be advertised whenever the town manager determines that recruitment is appropriate,” the new policy reads.
If a member misses three regular meetings in a row or doesn’t attend 85% of the meetings within a 12 month period, they can be removed by the council.
“The Council may waive attendance expectations for good cause shown,” the policy reads.
RECENT APPOINTMENTS.
The council appointed several people at its July 21 meeting.
Anna Durand and Robert Webber were reappointed to the town’s Appeals Board.
Natalie Springuel and Lydia Stiles were reappointed to the Marine Resources Committee.
Jeff Dobbs was reappointed to the Parks & Recreation Committee.
Councilors reappointed Kathleen St. Germain to the Planning Board and appointed new members Margaret O’Neil and Jacqueline Levesque.
Chair Maya Caines recused herself for Ezra Sassaman’s appointment to the Task Force on the Climate Emergency because they are partners and live together. The council agreed that she had a conflict of interest before councilors appointed Sassaman to the task force.
MANAGER’S COMMENTS
THE FOURTH OF JULY
Town Manager James Smith gave special thanks to the town’s departments and employees for their work on the Fourth of July.
“You couldn’t even tell that the mob had been through,” he said of what the town looked like the next morning.
Bar Harbor typically hosts thousands of visitors on the holiday weekend as well as year-round and seasonal residents.
Councilor Steven Boucher also wanted to thank the town staff, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, and Bar Harbor (Mount Desert) Rotary Club for all their work on the events which included pancake breakfasts, live music, craft fairs, kids games, seafood festival, a parade, and fireworks.
Councilor Deborah Vickers, who co-owns the Black Friar Inn, said that guests were so impressed by the town and its clean-up.
“They couldn’t believe how organized and phenomenal Bar Harbor executed it,” she said.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Smith praised the Bar Harbor Fire Department for receiving its Drug Enforcement Agency registration for controlled substance inventory after recent federal changes mandated that need.
The town’s fire department and ambulance service can now do that in house.
He also praised the emergency responders at a recent difficult rescue in Acadia National Park where a woman had taken a step, rolled her ankle, and then fell 15-30 feet at Monument Cove. The Coast Guard and park rangers were also involved.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Bar Harbor Finance Director Sarah Gilbert reported that Acadia National Park had given the town $50,680 as a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT). These payments are voluntary because nonprofits do not have to pay property tax in towns and cities even when they own property that is in that town or city.
Gilbert also reported that the town received $4.3 million in net parking revenue, a 3.2% increase over fiscal year 25. There has been a 25% increase in app use, she said.
There were 22 more tax liens filed this year, bringing the town’s total to 99. In 2022-2023, that number was 69.
Code office fines were quite a bit less in the past fiscal year. Ambulance revenues were higher, but don’t include write-offs, which are typical. Water revenue was less than anticipated.
The town has spent $14,091,594 of its general government budget as of July 10.
THE TOWN’S MINUTES
The Town Council approved its minutes after a public comment by Sidman.
Sidman suggested that the community members’ comments during the workshop should be included and not paraphrased en masse in the town’s minutes, which are official recordings of its public meetings.
“I think that’s just owed to the public because they participated,” Sidman said.
The Council did not change the minutes and unanimously approved them.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Boucher said he was glad to be back after a health scare and appreciated everyone’s support.
Councilor Randell Sprague encouraged people to apply for vacancies on committees.
Councilor Earl Brechlin said that it would be great for the town to spread the word for any major DOT projects that might delay traffic.
Councilor Joe Minutolo encouraged the town to patch potholes on Norway Drive.
Councilor David Kief also praised the town’s work and thanked people who signed up for committees.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS
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