BAR HARBOR, May 26, 2023 - The local chamber of commerce, which receives taxpayers support, has joined APPLL Maine, the group of businesses actively suing the town over its cruise ship visitation cap, Chamber President Gary “Bo” Jennings confirmed this week in an email responding to questions from the QSJ.
Equating a cruise ship passenger cap with societal discrimination against protected classes is a disgusting new low even for the Chamber. The "Bar Harbor Welcomes All" PR campaign was obviously winking at cynical pinkwashing from the start, but it's good to have Jennings on the record making apparent exactly how abominably cynical it all is.
Read an article in the NYT recently where young folks aren't visiting/vacationing in the Hamptons, as they see it as a bastion of elitism. No judgement, merely reporting what has been written in the NYT and comparing it to, "Bar Harbor Welcomes All", PR campaign.
Thank you for staying on top of this issue. I find the behavior by members of the Chamber of Commerce, and the goings-on related to the B&B/hotel, very disturbing. I plan to support the businesses who are NOT supporting the cruise ship influx.
The chamber of commerce only cares about selling out our town to the cruise ships.
We need fewer tourists not more. We’re suffocating here.
The chamber of commerce also doesn’t care about anyone that doesn’t own a restaurant, inn, or trinket shop. They have no interest in growing out year-round economy or making our town less dependent on seasonal tourism.
I wish none of my tax dollars went to that organization.
l'll be the idea man and you be the money man, cutesy Mich guy, who hides behind a quixotic shield. lnstead of wasting time on your time being a funny man and fighting a windmills, go study case/marine law and find something that could actually help your cause?
I am one of the partitioners and no one on the team is rich. We won in November. So Freddie put that in your pipe and smoke it. You have already lost your bet.
No skin off my nose. Have at it, jump up and down, scream and shout, get madder and madder. l don't smoke, but you sound as if you have some funny things going on. For all the great and wonderful things J.D. Rockefeller, Jr. and those rich folk that started the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations; they had many detractors. To be a homeowner in Bar Harbor (in town, definitely more than 50%), one is a millionaire, net worth. l assume you keep up on real estate values. Now Jim, what are the terms of the bet, that you claim, "You have already lost your bet"???
The business of America is business. For good or bad, this is a fact that money indeed talks. The majority of home owners in Bar Harbor have bought after 1990 (personal observation, no backing facts). They knew what they were getting into when they bought, "in town". Personally, l preferred Bass Harbor to Bar harbor and bought (2017) where l could be far enough away from Bar Harbor but still enjoy/use it as needed. Historically it has been a resort town since the 1880's. Good luck to all sides in this controversy, but l would be betting on the side of those interests that have the most money >>> as l sit in Bass Harbor watching the lobster boats and Swan's Island Ferry come and go.
lf you consider investing gambling, l have a Crypto and Wall St. problem. l bet on Solana in 2018. No, l won't pull an Andrew Mellon as you have mentioned, "pipes and smoking" earlier. Also, new super computerers, AI, self driving autos, Lidar >>> they all look like a good play in a ten year time frame. l say this as my Airbnb pays my mortgage twice over. Ain't America great? You seem to have a need for something that l can't supply, as you offer your diagnosis for me running my life. Your free advice is worth what you paid for it...
Bar Harbor in 1990 was much different than today. The growth in tourism is unsustainable.
We need more housing that can’t become AirBnBs. A few cruise ships to extend the season in the fall would be fine.
The last thing this town needs is more tourists in July or August. And we definitely don’t need anything that encourages even more visitation (such as additional overnight accommodation).
Mitchel Rales (fellow Marylander) has the right direction and a pure heart. The other organization wanting affordable housing on the island is also on the right thread. Again, l saw Bar Harbor for what it was (2017) >>> and it wasn't me (Capt. Chesapeake), but Bass (named for Striped Bass) Harbor was. l don't know your age but if you're making reference to 1990, things won't change in your lifetime. Me personally, l wouldn't move to someplace and expect the locals to adhere to my advice; "well where l come from, this is how we do it". One thing l have noticed on the island, or at least on the Quietside, are many churches that don't have a congregation, or a very limited one. To me these places are crying out to be repurposed for the present needs of the community; i.e., Habitat For Humanity.
Marcus, you and another one or two, prompted, "your multiple posts". Appears to me that you want to shoot the messenger and not heed the message. l made an observation, don't make it into something where you are seeing assassins/trolls coming for you; that is unless you feel the need. Understand, l don't have a dog in this fight. There is a distinct competitive advantage that the entity you seek to oust has against the concerned good citizens of Bar Harbor. Money doesn't talk, it screams. l assume you noticed a 50 odd unit, "Bed and Breakfast", going up on Cottage St.???
Why you sure got me sussed! Sorry to inform you, l don't need the last dollar on the island as we price accordingly. We booked out in February (for the season) but November is wide open if you want to let everybody know. The point is you don't have a point, to have a point. So do you get off, on going off, on people that wish you the best of luck in your endeavors? Fire away my pointed friend as l have time on my hands raising/training two puppies. Care to use that intel to address me and not the concerns of the good citizens of Bar Harbor and their issues with too many tourists? Here's a point >>> why not try for something on a smaller scale at first; have cruise ships burn low sulfur fuel when moored in Frenchman's Bay. The first tip is free...
Equating a cruise ship passenger cap with societal discrimination against protected classes is a disgusting new low even for the Chamber. The "Bar Harbor Welcomes All" PR campaign was obviously winking at cynical pinkwashing from the start, but it's good to have Jennings on the record making apparent exactly how abominably cynical it all is.
Read an article in the NYT recently where young folks aren't visiting/vacationing in the Hamptons, as they see it as a bastion of elitism. No judgement, merely reporting what has been written in the NYT and comparing it to, "Bar Harbor Welcomes All", PR campaign.
Thank you for staying on top of this issue. I find the behavior by members of the Chamber of Commerce, and the goings-on related to the B&B/hotel, very disturbing. I plan to support the businesses who are NOT supporting the cruise ship influx.
Thanks for the news, no on Bo!
Bo is just a minion, he serves his masters well I hear. Maybe he could make a decent councilor some day once he becomes his own man.
The chamber of commerce only cares about selling out our town to the cruise ships.
We need fewer tourists not more. We’re suffocating here.
The chamber of commerce also doesn’t care about anyone that doesn’t own a restaurant, inn, or trinket shop. They have no interest in growing out year-round economy or making our town less dependent on seasonal tourism.
I wish none of my tax dollars went to that organization.
l'll be the idea man and you be the money man, cutesy Mich guy, who hides behind a quixotic shield. lnstead of wasting time on your time being a funny man and fighting a windmills, go study case/marine law and find something that could actually help your cause?
I am one of the partitioners and no one on the team is rich. We won in November. So Freddie put that in your pipe and smoke it. You have already lost your bet.
No skin off my nose. Have at it, jump up and down, scream and shout, get madder and madder. l don't smoke, but you sound as if you have some funny things going on. For all the great and wonderful things J.D. Rockefeller, Jr. and those rich folk that started the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations; they had many detractors. To be a homeowner in Bar Harbor (in town, definitely more than 50%), one is a millionaire, net worth. l assume you keep up on real estate values. Now Jim, what are the terms of the bet, that you claim, "You have already lost your bet"???
The business of America is business. For good or bad, this is a fact that money indeed talks. The majority of home owners in Bar Harbor have bought after 1990 (personal observation, no backing facts). They knew what they were getting into when they bought, "in town". Personally, l preferred Bass Harbor to Bar harbor and bought (2017) where l could be far enough away from Bar Harbor but still enjoy/use it as needed. Historically it has been a resort town since the 1880's. Good luck to all sides in this controversy, but l would be betting on the side of those interests that have the most money >>> as l sit in Bass Harbor watching the lobster boats and Swan's Island Ferry come and go.
You may need some counseling for your gambling problem. It only takes a few people to change the world. In a democracy you need votes. It’s free.
lf you consider investing gambling, l have a Crypto and Wall St. problem. l bet on Solana in 2018. No, l won't pull an Andrew Mellon as you have mentioned, "pipes and smoking" earlier. Also, new super computerers, AI, self driving autos, Lidar >>> they all look like a good play in a ten year time frame. l say this as my Airbnb pays my mortgage twice over. Ain't America great? You seem to have a need for something that l can't supply, as you offer your diagnosis for me running my life. Your free advice is worth what you paid for it...
Bar Harbor in 1990 was much different than today. The growth in tourism is unsustainable.
We need more housing that can’t become AirBnBs. A few cruise ships to extend the season in the fall would be fine.
The last thing this town needs is more tourists in July or August. And we definitely don’t need anything that encourages even more visitation (such as additional overnight accommodation).
Enough is enough.
Mitchel Rales (fellow Marylander) has the right direction and a pure heart. The other organization wanting affordable housing on the island is also on the right thread. Again, l saw Bar Harbor for what it was (2017) >>> and it wasn't me (Capt. Chesapeake), but Bass (named for Striped Bass) Harbor was. l don't know your age but if you're making reference to 1990, things won't change in your lifetime. Me personally, l wouldn't move to someplace and expect the locals to adhere to my advice; "well where l come from, this is how we do it". One thing l have noticed on the island, or at least on the Quietside, are many churches that don't have a congregation, or a very limited one. To me these places are crying out to be repurposed for the present needs of the community; i.e., Habitat For Humanity.
I'm just sitting here trying to understand your multiple posts on this journal post and I believe I have figured it out. I was trolled!
Marcus, you and another one or two, prompted, "your multiple posts". Appears to me that you want to shoot the messenger and not heed the message. l made an observation, don't make it into something where you are seeing assassins/trolls coming for you; that is unless you feel the need. Understand, l don't have a dog in this fight. There is a distinct competitive advantage that the entity you seek to oust has against the concerned good citizens of Bar Harbor. Money doesn't talk, it screams. l assume you noticed a 50 odd unit, "Bed and Breakfast", going up on Cottage St.???
So you write long winded replies with no real point for no real reason besides maybe to let people know that you rent an Airbnb on the island?
Why you sure got me sussed! Sorry to inform you, l don't need the last dollar on the island as we price accordingly. We booked out in February (for the season) but November is wide open if you want to let everybody know. The point is you don't have a point, to have a point. So do you get off, on going off, on people that wish you the best of luck in your endeavors? Fire away my pointed friend as l have time on my hands raising/training two puppies. Care to use that intel to address me and not the concerns of the good citizens of Bar Harbor and their issues with too many tourists? Here's a point >>> why not try for something on a smaller scale at first; have cruise ships burn low sulfur fuel when moored in Frenchman's Bay. The first tip is free...