Bar Harbor Council rejects tourism task force plan

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Bar Harbor Town Council rejected the initial draft of a charter for a Sustainable Tourism Management Task Force.

The draft charter as presented contains a provision for a 14-member board to include representatives of the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA), the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT) and "regional community representatives" who are not Bar Harbor residents.

Businessman Charles Sidman, who led the successful effort to limit numbers of cruise ship passengers in the town, advocated making the Board residents only - with a max of 1/3 business owners who benefit directly from tourism - with other interested parties serving in an advisory capacity only.

It's anticipated that a revised charter draft will be presented at the next Council meeting, on 21 January 2025.