Bar Harbor welcomes all | Mount Desert Islander | Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
As a native Mainer, mother of three children in local schools, and an 18-year business owner, I’m proud The Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL), a collaboration of Bar Harbor’s citizens and businesses, greeted The Norwegian Pearl to provide a warm welcome to about 1,500 people.
APPLL’s pro-hospitality efforts represent the interests of the community, local businesses and workers who believe the town should welcome all regardless of race, religion, physical ability, gender preference or means of arrival.
Our crucial tourist season now spans three seasons thanks to cruise ships that contribute more than $20,000,000 every year to local workers and businesses, and fund nearly 400 jobs. The town also receives $1,250,000 in revenue in the form of passenger service and port development fees. This revenue supports schools as a much-needed offset to local taxes.
While APPLL and many local citizens believe Bar Harbor should remain a welcoming tourist destination, a few individuals like Charles Sidman have mustered their considerable resources to keep certain visitors out.
Sidman has said that cruise ship people (presumably passengers and crew) are “the kind of people we don’t want in Bar Harbor” at a town Warrant Committee meeting in August of 2022. Such a statement makes a person wonder exactly what kind of people Mr. Sidman would prefer?
Passed last year, Sidman’s ordinance restricts visits from cruise people to just 1,000 a day. Now on track for federal court, it is likely both unconstitutional and, by his admission, practically unenforceable.
Sidman’s real intent is not to limit cruise visitors but rather to kill the cruise business in Bar Harbor altogether. It’s clear, if the ordinance stands, the cruise lines will abandon Bar Harbor as a destination.
Losing this business would be a crushing blow for both local business and the town.
We urge local residents to get the facts, measure their own experiences and talk to local businesses. Information and independent studies are available at www.appll.me.
We’re confident most folks agree with APPLL that Bar Harbor welcomes all!
Kristi Bond, APPLL President, Bar Harbor