As a former city attorney responsible for managing municipal litigation for 150,000 citizens, I would remind Bar Harbor that the town has a unique resource -- the authority to impose taxes and fees to recover excessive legal expenses from businesses which unreasonably persist in litigating against the town.
ThankYou Lincoln Millstein. ThankYou Charles Sidman. ThankYou Judge Lance Walker. And all of you who refuse to be pushed back and ground down by corrupt officials conspiring with unscrupulous business people.
The results of elections, expressing the will of the people, is paramount. Perhaps this year more so. How is it a Federalist Society judge fast tracked to bench by TeaParty Gov. Paul LePage and MAGA Pres. Donald Trump can understand the constitutional primacy of the people expressing their will through voting? While this passel of rogues, who preen themselves on being respectful civil servants and local entrepreneurs, usurp the authority of the ballot and scheme their little schemes of overturning the law. These folks bursting with pride of place and position. These self appointed arbiters of community values.
Where are Stephen King and Mel Brooks when we need them?
One of the primary benefits of turning to an attorney every time someone sneezes is that the attorney's opinion ofttimes relieves those actually responsible for the decision of having to take the heat. "Experts" abound in today's society and one cannot help but be reminded of Henry David Thoreaus quip about "common sense." "I could never understand why they call it common sense," he said, "for it is anything but common." Based upon recent history one might imagine that "common sense" has gone extinct in America, replaced by a burgeoning horde of "experts" who not only feed at the public trough they gorge. As for the Cruise Ship mess Ocean Properties has clearly embarked upon a strategy of whoever has the most money wins and the Town Council shows every indication of raising up a white flag. To say that lying down and letting the Ocean Properties bulldozer run you over is unwise might well be the understatement of the century. As the FBI advises in kidnapping and hostage cases paying a ransom invariably winds up with the same party coming back for more.
"As for the Cruise Ship mess Ocean Properties has clearly embarked upon a strategy of whoever has the most money wins and the Town Council shows every indication of raising up a white flag."
Truly you give the Bar Harbor Town Council too much credit. "Every indication of raising the white flag." No. The Bar Harbor ship of state has been sailing under the pirate flag of Salvatore, Bond et al from before they were the rotten APPL.
I forgot to explain an important legal point in my prior post: our current 1,000 passenger cap ordinance is in the BH Land Use Ordinance (LUO). These means only the voters can change this ordinance at the ballot box . If the voters agree with the Town Council’s taking it out of the LUO ,and putting the regulations into Chapter 50, you, the voter, will have no vote, and hardly any way to have any say. The Town Council will have the votes to change the regulations ….and passenger caps, days, seasons, etc., as they see fit , not you the voter.
I don’t think the voters are going to surrender this town to Walsh and a peck of apples. They will burn the white flag of surrender and march to the voting booth waving the red white and blue.
Thanks again QSJ for your timely investigation and analysis to bring powerful information to the voters and concerned public. I can only hope the Town Council and Town Manager and APPL are spinning litigation and lies so fast and slick that they will fall flat on their faces again before the Courts. The citizens spoke with crystal clarity at the public hearings this week: they want the Town to simply follow the law they voted for capping passengers at 1,000 daily in 2022. I wonder if those bitter business owners could have used some of APPL ‘s considerable legal funds to change their business models to modify their inventories to appeal to a broader range of consumers than cruise ship passengers, rather than wasting it on their Eaton Peabody lawyers. I doubt it, the quick money made by a clump of passengers in one visit is as tempting as a quick drug deal. Unfortunately, the rest of our society has to pay the price: the pollution and visual blight and congestion from the mega cruise ships, and now the legal chokehold the cruise ship industry has on the municipality of Bar Harbor.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The voters of Bar Harbor need to vote NO on the Town’s Repeal and Replace ordinance. It is the only way the voters can retain any legal power over how cruise ship are regulated. If the Town’s Repeal and Replace and Chapter 50 wins, the voters have completely lost their power to vote on cruise ship regulation and it would go entirely to the Town Council. So, I urge everyone to get out and vote NO if only to preserve their future votes . This key voter power is one of the most important in our current cruise ship ordinance led by Charlie Sidman . He and other crafters of this ordinance wanted the voters of BH to determine the amount of cruise ship pressure on the community, not a handful of Town Councilors who are easily pressured by the cruise ship industry.
The rotten businesses in this town will eventually reap what they sow. Looking at you APPLL, are you guys truly ready for some Leonard Leo action on the streets where you live?
As a former city attorney responsible for managing municipal litigation for 150,000 citizens, I would remind Bar Harbor that the town has a unique resource -- the authority to impose taxes and fees to recover excessive legal expenses from businesses which unreasonably persist in litigating against the town.
Thank you for the heads up...let the taxation begin!
ThankYou Lincoln Millstein. ThankYou Charles Sidman. ThankYou Judge Lance Walker. And all of you who refuse to be pushed back and ground down by corrupt officials conspiring with unscrupulous business people.
The results of elections, expressing the will of the people, is paramount. Perhaps this year more so. How is it a Federalist Society judge fast tracked to bench by TeaParty Gov. Paul LePage and MAGA Pres. Donald Trump can understand the constitutional primacy of the people expressing their will through voting? While this passel of rogues, who preen themselves on being respectful civil servants and local entrepreneurs, usurp the authority of the ballot and scheme their little schemes of overturning the law. These folks bursting with pride of place and position. These self appointed arbiters of community values.
Where are Stephen King and Mel Brooks when we need them?
One of the primary benefits of turning to an attorney every time someone sneezes is that the attorney's opinion ofttimes relieves those actually responsible for the decision of having to take the heat. "Experts" abound in today's society and one cannot help but be reminded of Henry David Thoreaus quip about "common sense." "I could never understand why they call it common sense," he said, "for it is anything but common." Based upon recent history one might imagine that "common sense" has gone extinct in America, replaced by a burgeoning horde of "experts" who not only feed at the public trough they gorge. As for the Cruise Ship mess Ocean Properties has clearly embarked upon a strategy of whoever has the most money wins and the Town Council shows every indication of raising up a white flag. To say that lying down and letting the Ocean Properties bulldozer run you over is unwise might well be the understatement of the century. As the FBI advises in kidnapping and hostage cases paying a ransom invariably winds up with the same party coming back for more.
"As for the Cruise Ship mess Ocean Properties has clearly embarked upon a strategy of whoever has the most money wins and the Town Council shows every indication of raising up a white flag."
Truly you give the Bar Harbor Town Council too much credit. "Every indication of raising the white flag." No. The Bar Harbor ship of state has been sailing under the pirate flag of Salvatore, Bond et al from before they were the rotten APPL.
Excellent point! I wholeheartedly agree.
I forgot to explain an important legal point in my prior post: our current 1,000 passenger cap ordinance is in the BH Land Use Ordinance (LUO). These means only the voters can change this ordinance at the ballot box . If the voters agree with the Town Council’s taking it out of the LUO ,and putting the regulations into Chapter 50, you, the voter, will have no vote, and hardly any way to have any say. The Town Council will have the votes to change the regulations ….and passenger caps, days, seasons, etc., as they see fit , not you the voter.
I don’t think the voters are going to surrender this town to Walsh and a peck of apples. They will burn the white flag of surrender and march to the voting booth waving the red white and blue.
Thanks again QSJ for your timely investigation and analysis to bring powerful information to the voters and concerned public. I can only hope the Town Council and Town Manager and APPL are spinning litigation and lies so fast and slick that they will fall flat on their faces again before the Courts. The citizens spoke with crystal clarity at the public hearings this week: they want the Town to simply follow the law they voted for capping passengers at 1,000 daily in 2022. I wonder if those bitter business owners could have used some of APPL ‘s considerable legal funds to change their business models to modify their inventories to appeal to a broader range of consumers than cruise ship passengers, rather than wasting it on their Eaton Peabody lawyers. I doubt it, the quick money made by a clump of passengers in one visit is as tempting as a quick drug deal. Unfortunately, the rest of our society has to pay the price: the pollution and visual blight and congestion from the mega cruise ships, and now the legal chokehold the cruise ship industry has on the municipality of Bar Harbor.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The voters of Bar Harbor need to vote NO on the Town’s Repeal and Replace ordinance. It is the only way the voters can retain any legal power over how cruise ship are regulated. If the Town’s Repeal and Replace and Chapter 50 wins, the voters have completely lost their power to vote on cruise ship regulation and it would go entirely to the Town Council. So, I urge everyone to get out and vote NO if only to preserve their future votes . This key voter power is one of the most important in our current cruise ship ordinance led by Charlie Sidman . He and other crafters of this ordinance wanted the voters of BH to determine the amount of cruise ship pressure on the community, not a handful of Town Councilors who are easily pressured by the cruise ship industry.
The rotten businesses in this town will eventually reap what they sow. Looking at you APPLL, are you guys truly ready for some Leonard Leo action on the streets where you live?