MIDWEEK REPORT: Newest BH Warrant member seeks housing opportunities for young people
BAR HARBOR, Feb. 7, 2023 - Bailey Stillman, who was elected Monday to fill a vacancy on the Warrant Committee, says he wants to be part of a conversation to restore the bounty of island life on Mount Desert, especially for young people.
He is the latest under-30 resident to seek elected office in Bar Harbor.
In an online interview, Stillman wrote, “I feel very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place that is rising in popularity and increasing in value. We have great communities, the national park and a culture that is desirable to others. With all that being said, the rise in value presents other challenges and competition, especially in the housing market.
“Airbnb and seasonal rentals are profitable businesses (around the world), but on our small island they create large barriers of entry for locals, young people and people seeking to set roots here.
“I understand why people and companies invest so much into this business, but there needs to be restrictions in place to create opportunities for people of different income brackets to rent or buy homes. Organization like Island Housing Trust and MDI 365 do an excellent job to try and bridge the gap, but there is always going to be a greater need.
“I believe we will see more housing developments that will offer opportunities, but they aren’t always affordable. Its hard for someone like me to imagine paying $100k + for an acre of vacant land, along with the rising cost of materials and contractors to build the house.
“People are sometimes paying mortgage rates in rent and not building any equity. This is assumed, but there aren’t any reasonably priced houses available for fixer uppers or first time homebuyers. The jump from renting to owning on MDI is a big jump.
“I do not have a solution to the MDI housing crisis, but as someone who wants to build a life here, I want to be part of the conversation.
“The congestion in Bar Harbor and around the Island has gotten to the point where I rarely go to town or in the Park during the busy season. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. There is little incentive for locals to go out and about, thus they wait for the ‘off season rates’ of the winter; a time when you can find yourself alone in the park, without traffic, or are sure to find a seat in town at restaurant and see people you know. Local pride is real, and I am proud to live here, but it feels like I live somewhere that I don’t recognize at times. When there is no parking, no where to grab a bite to eat, cars backed up all along ocean drive and up Cadillac mountain.
“As a kid, I would ride the Island Explorer to the Village Green to meet up with friends, go to EPI for a sub, then grab an ice-cream at CJ’s before catching the next bus home. We frequently made spontaneous trips up Cadillac for sunset on any given evening without worrying about parking. Again, I understand things are subject to change and I don’t have a good solution for any one issue, but I want to be part of the conversation and lend my perspectives in hopes to make positive changes.
Stillman attended MDI High School and runs his own business out of Bass Harbor, servicing and repairing boats. He is also a captain, scuba diver and carpenter. He is married and said he would like to raise a family on MDI.
He was appointed midway through the 2020-2021 year to fill a vacancy on the Warrant Committee. But he had to give up that seat when it was noted he was registered to vote in Mount Desert at the time, according to Town Clerk Liz Graves.
Graves stated, “My memory is that when he came to pull nomination papers in the spring of 2021 under the new process for election of that body, we pulled his voter registration card as we do for every candidate and saw that he was not a Bar Harbor voter. We thought he could register right away and still run, but then consulted the charter and found the one-year requirement. Bailey has been a Bar Harbor registered voter since 6/2/2021.”
In May 2023, Stillman, then 27, was arrested in Bar Harbor for alleged operating under the influence.
“I was pulled over leaving Bar Harbor, and was arrested for operating under the influence. It was unfortunate and embarrassing. I took the DEEP course just two weeks later, and went through my 30-day license suspension.
“I rode my bicycle from Bar Harbor to Seal Harbor via the carriage roads, luckily we had really great weather in August. My family and friends were behind me the whole time. Alcohol is not a problem of mine. I made a mistake that many good people make.”
Stillman was elected Monday 13-1 by the Warrant Committee, after the pro-Chamber bloc first attempted to install former Town Councilor Erin Cough. Their effort to nominate her failed 9-5. She was nominated by Kathleen St. Germain and supported by Eben Salvatore, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the town on cruise ship visitation caps, Jeff Young, owner of several businesses including Side Street Cafe, whose manager Bo Jennings is president of the Chamber of Commerce, Kevin DesVeaux, owner of West Street Cafe, and Shaun Farrar, who co-authors the news blog Bar Harbor Story. Farrar also cast the lone no vote in the final election.
Farrar said he voted against Stillman, “because I don't know anything about him and how he'd represent voters. That is why I asked Seth (Libby) if there was any additional information provided by those who expressed interest, and we all had that long, silent pause while we read the printed emails that Seth provided. I didn't feel I could vote for a Warrant Committee member that I didn't know enough about.”
Stillman will be up for re-election in June. St. Germain’s term also expires then. Warrant Committee re-elections are non-events unless there are challengers.
FOOTNOTE: Town Clerk Liz Graves said the town will attempt to conduct “unhosted” Zoom meetings after town staff was not available Monday night to operate the live broadcast of the Warrant Committee. The audio of the meeting was made available by using the laptop computer of a member but some comments from the back of the room were inaudible. It was the third time since James Smith became town manager that video of a major meeting was unavailing. The other two were a Town Council meeting and a Planning Board meeting.