NORTHEAST HARBOR, June 16, 2024 - Plaintiffs in the Heel Way subdivision case who lost their lawsuit against the Planning Board’s approval of six units of workforce housing have appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court, Mount Desert 365 announced today.
It appears that the "whoever has the most money wins" strategy so evident in Bar Harbor as of late has migrated to Northeast Harbor. Having passed - by clear majority - a citizens initiative limiting the disembarkation of no more than 1,000 passengers per day the citizens of Bar Harbor have been forced to expend in excess of half a million dollars defending the initiative against frivolous lawsuits initiated by Ocean Properties, an out of state chain of hotels, restaurants, and knickknack shops who also owns the only dock in town at which cruise ship passengers can land. By their own admission Ocean Properties reaps millions of dollars a year in profits from dock fees and shuttle services. So what's a few hundred grand in legal fees in an effort to bully the small town of Bar Harbor into opening the flood gates for cruise ship landings.
In addition the citizens group that crafted the initiative has also been forced to spend in excess of $300,000 in defending the initiative against Ocean Properties lawsuits and appeals.
In one of the most brazen legal statements I have ever encountered Ocean Properties attorney Hamilton was recently quoted in The Quietside Journal as saying:
"Hamilton said his clients would never adhere to any rule-making on the cruise ship ordinance no matter what the council did.
The council was in the process of reviewing two proposed codes - one to regulate ships in the harbor and the other to limit the number of passengers who may disembark to 1,000 a day. The ordinance adopted overwhelming by voters on Nov. 8, 2022 posed a $100 fine per passenger over the limit.
Hamilton said, “We're just not going to tolerate it. We're going to be a brick wall on this disembarkation ordinance.”
One can only wonder what Federal Court Judge Walker who ruled in favor of the citizens initiative must have thought about this belligerent statement?
The economic stakes in Northeast Harbor are far less than those in the Bar Harbor case and I am not entirely clear as to why the court has even allowed a handful of 1%ers legal standing in the case. What precisely to they have to lose by the construction of modest, high quality, living quarters for the workers whose very existence makes possible the lavish summer lifestyles the wealthy enjoy? And yet hoping to outspend the local citizens this "Not In My Backyard You Don't" group clearly intends to keep launching frivolous appeals in an effort to bully their way to victory.
Kind of reminds me of Marie Antoinette's infamous quotable quote. After being told the French citizens couldn't afford bread for their families ole Marie remarked, "Well let them eat cake!" And by cake she was not referring to high end baked goods but rather the "cake" or charcoal rind that had to be routinely scraped from the roof and sides of the brick ovens in which bread was baked.
Let us hope that the entitled of Northeast Harbor fare better than did ole Marie who apparently thought things were coming up roses right up until she knelt down in front the that fearsome blade!
Entitled jerks. Maybe they should summer somewhere else.
It appears that the "whoever has the most money wins" strategy so evident in Bar Harbor as of late has migrated to Northeast Harbor. Having passed - by clear majority - a citizens initiative limiting the disembarkation of no more than 1,000 passengers per day the citizens of Bar Harbor have been forced to expend in excess of half a million dollars defending the initiative against frivolous lawsuits initiated by Ocean Properties, an out of state chain of hotels, restaurants, and knickknack shops who also owns the only dock in town at which cruise ship passengers can land. By their own admission Ocean Properties reaps millions of dollars a year in profits from dock fees and shuttle services. So what's a few hundred grand in legal fees in an effort to bully the small town of Bar Harbor into opening the flood gates for cruise ship landings.
In addition the citizens group that crafted the initiative has also been forced to spend in excess of $300,000 in defending the initiative against Ocean Properties lawsuits and appeals.
In one of the most brazen legal statements I have ever encountered Ocean Properties attorney Hamilton was recently quoted in The Quietside Journal as saying:
"Hamilton said his clients would never adhere to any rule-making on the cruise ship ordinance no matter what the council did.
The council was in the process of reviewing two proposed codes - one to regulate ships in the harbor and the other to limit the number of passengers who may disembark to 1,000 a day. The ordinance adopted overwhelming by voters on Nov. 8, 2022 posed a $100 fine per passenger over the limit.
Hamilton said, “We're just not going to tolerate it. We're going to be a brick wall on this disembarkation ordinance.”
One can only wonder what Federal Court Judge Walker who ruled in favor of the citizens initiative must have thought about this belligerent statement?
The economic stakes in Northeast Harbor are far less than those in the Bar Harbor case and I am not entirely clear as to why the court has even allowed a handful of 1%ers legal standing in the case. What precisely to they have to lose by the construction of modest, high quality, living quarters for the workers whose very existence makes possible the lavish summer lifestyles the wealthy enjoy? And yet hoping to outspend the local citizens this "Not In My Backyard You Don't" group clearly intends to keep launching frivolous appeals in an effort to bully their way to victory.
Kind of reminds me of Marie Antoinette's infamous quotable quote. After being told the French citizens couldn't afford bread for their families ole Marie remarked, "Well let them eat cake!" And by cake she was not referring to high end baked goods but rather the "cake" or charcoal rind that had to be routinely scraped from the roof and sides of the brick ovens in which bread was baked.
Let us hope that the entitled of Northeast Harbor fare better than did ole Marie who apparently thought things were coming up roses right up until she knelt down in front the that fearsome blade!
And the lot of them here for about 1 month in the summer. The epitome of entitlement. It's really shameful.