When the Town Council starts cranking up their propaganda machine to hawk their pro Big Cruise agenda to thwart the will and vote of a majority of their citizens, voters should scrutinize each assertion as carefully as QSJ has done. I served on the Warrant Committee for over 10 years, and found it was imperative to study all Land Use Ordinances up for vote and Town’s propaganda very carefully. At times, major legal problems were present, the citizens, in the majority would strongly oppose the proposed amendments, and the Town would continue to posture,
we, Daddy knows what is best for you the voters, just ignore our mistakes and deceptions.
I think the worst deception about the current Repeal and Replace with Chapter 50 is the Town Council and Planning Board NOT directly informing the BH voters that they are ripping away one of the most powerful rights the voter has, voting directly on cruise ship passenger caps, currently enshrined in the LUO. Let me state this as directly as possible: If the Town wins, and the Big Cruise regulation is placed in the Municipal Ordinance, the voters will have no vote, and the vote will be entirely in the hands of the majority of the Town Council.
Furthermore, watch out for these opinions from the Planning Board about they should only be using the LUO for land issues, not water uses. Ruth Eveland stated this in the recent planning board meeting. Former PB Chair Tom St. Germain, also argued this in the prior battle about Big Cruise presence. Of course this is ridiculous: How else would our waterfront town regulate docks and buildings attached to the land over the waters? The LUO clearly has legal definitions for Structures, water related, and Uses, water dependent. When I continue to hear these ludicrous statements, I wonder if the Town wants to take all the management of waterfront uses under their control in the Municipal Code, where the uber powerful cruise and tourism lobby have the easy path to influencing the Town Council.
The entire cruise industry is watching. I have a feeling the industry would love to flood with mega ships, over 7,000 passengers and 2,000 crew. I think they make more money with those. Even if we don't allow that size of ship, letting the council determine passenger numbers already seems iffy.
The industry always states lower berth numbers. I don't think that's 1:1 related to passengers.
I think the are 2 lower berths per cabin and 2 upper berths per cabin that never seem to get talked about.
How many single, 1 per cabin people go on a cruise ship? Unless it's a singles cruise. I would expect most often couples go on cruises, so 2 lower berths. You might have kids or other relatives in the 2 upper berths but we aren't going to count those extra passengers.
Let's get all the definitions correct so we all know that we are probably talking different numbers in passengers vs. lower berths.
Listen up MDI; like it or not the Bar Harbor Town Council determines the future well-being of every town and village on this fragile island. Palpable interisland rivalries ended when MDI Regional High came into being. Bar Harbor High vs. Pemetic et al, may generate fond memories but is ancient history that has no bearing on today’s crushing reality. Cruise ships and the long term effects of the pollution they discharge are an island wide issue. Crowded Bar Harbor streets are just the tip of a melting iceberg that will eventually flood every town. We are island people inhabiting a tiny spit of land surrounded by a vast ocean, the emission free and righteous economic engine that drives our economy. Cruise ships compromise its health. Their never ending effluence is accumulative; exponentially a sure fire recipe for environmental disaster that we will most likely escape but our progeny will suffer unless we become better shepherds, a la George Dorr. Every single day and in every which way we thank George for his service; for his foresight. Now is the time to honor it. Rather than be a one trick pony, this contentious chamber, that’s bleeding MDI, with pockets deeper than the municipalities its chartered to support, needs to take a step back and evaluate and explore Alternative Tourism. Tourism that puts bodies in vacant hotel beds and populates tables at local restaurants. If we adopt an island wide, build it and they will come mindset, it will create a better path for us and generations to follow. It’s painfully apparent that a citizen’s initiative by vote should be but isn’t enough. Our American heritage dates back to 1776 when citizens in every village and town answered the call and gave each of us the right to dictate how we live. Here on MDI, in every village and town its citizens need to put the feeling of helplessness aside and create an idea factory to devise and facilitate cold weather events. Ending the haunt of fossil fueled dinosaurs lurking in our waters is a calling not to be denied.
When the Town Council starts cranking up their propaganda machine to hawk their pro Big Cruise agenda to thwart the will and vote of a majority of their citizens, voters should scrutinize each assertion as carefully as QSJ has done. I served on the Warrant Committee for over 10 years, and found it was imperative to study all Land Use Ordinances up for vote and Town’s propaganda very carefully. At times, major legal problems were present, the citizens, in the majority would strongly oppose the proposed amendments, and the Town would continue to posture,
we, Daddy knows what is best for you the voters, just ignore our mistakes and deceptions.
I think the worst deception about the current Repeal and Replace with Chapter 50 is the Town Council and Planning Board NOT directly informing the BH voters that they are ripping away one of the most powerful rights the voter has, voting directly on cruise ship passenger caps, currently enshrined in the LUO. Let me state this as directly as possible: If the Town wins, and the Big Cruise regulation is placed in the Municipal Ordinance, the voters will have no vote, and the vote will be entirely in the hands of the majority of the Town Council.
Furthermore, watch out for these opinions from the Planning Board about they should only be using the LUO for land issues, not water uses. Ruth Eveland stated this in the recent planning board meeting. Former PB Chair Tom St. Germain, also argued this in the prior battle about Big Cruise presence. Of course this is ridiculous: How else would our waterfront town regulate docks and buildings attached to the land over the waters? The LUO clearly has legal definitions for Structures, water related, and Uses, water dependent. When I continue to hear these ludicrous statements, I wonder if the Town wants to take all the management of waterfront uses under their control in the Municipal Code, where the uber powerful cruise and tourism lobby have the easy path to influencing the Town Council.
Yes, stand up for Home Rule!
The entire cruise industry is watching. I have a feeling the industry would love to flood with mega ships, over 7,000 passengers and 2,000 crew. I think they make more money with those. Even if we don't allow that size of ship, letting the council determine passenger numbers already seems iffy.
The industry always states lower berth numbers. I don't think that's 1:1 related to passengers.
I think the are 2 lower berths per cabin and 2 upper berths per cabin that never seem to get talked about.
How many single, 1 per cabin people go on a cruise ship? Unless it's a singles cruise. I would expect most often couples go on cruises, so 2 lower berths. You might have kids or other relatives in the 2 upper berths but we aren't going to count those extra passengers.
Let's get all the definitions correct so we all know that we are probably talking different numbers in passengers vs. lower berths.
Thanks for shining a light on those who undermine our vote.
Thank you for providing such a detailed report. For those not always near, but always concerned it keeps us in the loop.
Listen up MDI; like it or not the Bar Harbor Town Council determines the future well-being of every town and village on this fragile island. Palpable interisland rivalries ended when MDI Regional High came into being. Bar Harbor High vs. Pemetic et al, may generate fond memories but is ancient history that has no bearing on today’s crushing reality. Cruise ships and the long term effects of the pollution they discharge are an island wide issue. Crowded Bar Harbor streets are just the tip of a melting iceberg that will eventually flood every town. We are island people inhabiting a tiny spit of land surrounded by a vast ocean, the emission free and righteous economic engine that drives our economy. Cruise ships compromise its health. Their never ending effluence is accumulative; exponentially a sure fire recipe for environmental disaster that we will most likely escape but our progeny will suffer unless we become better shepherds, a la George Dorr. Every single day and in every which way we thank George for his service; for his foresight. Now is the time to honor it. Rather than be a one trick pony, this contentious chamber, that’s bleeding MDI, with pockets deeper than the municipalities its chartered to support, needs to take a step back and evaluate and explore Alternative Tourism. Tourism that puts bodies in vacant hotel beds and populates tables at local restaurants. If we adopt an island wide, build it and they will come mindset, it will create a better path for us and generations to follow. It’s painfully apparent that a citizen’s initiative by vote should be but isn’t enough. Our American heritage dates back to 1776 when citizens in every village and town answered the call and gave each of us the right to dictate how we live. Here on MDI, in every village and town its citizens need to put the feeling of helplessness aside and create an idea factory to devise and facilitate cold weather events. Ending the haunt of fossil fueled dinosaurs lurking in our waters is a calling not to be denied.
Thanks for your reporting!