BAR HARBOR, Maine — A Saturday recount of an attempt to repeal Bar Harbor’s cruise ship ordinance (Article 4) on the Nov. 5 ballot upheld the original vote, keeping in place a limit of 1,000 cruise ship passengers a day in the town.
The recounted vote was upheld 1,779 (no) to 1,714 (yes).
The ballot measure (Article 4) originally failed by 63 votes or less than 2 percent, with a tally of 1,713 in favor of the repeal to 1,776 against. The recount had been requested by Bar Harbor resident Kevin DesVeaux. There were 160 blank votes.
The limit was approved by voters in 2022 through a referendum by citizens petition, which passed 1,780 to 1,273. The Nov. 5 article sought to repeal the daily cap so that the Bar Harbor Town Council could put a different limit in place using different mechanisms.
Since the 1,000-limits were approved by voters in 2022, Bar Harbor has had multiple lawsuits about the enforcement of the limits and their legality. A group of local businesses has appealed a federal court decision upholding those rules.
It is not the first time in recent history that the town has had a recount about a local issue. Back in 2020, the town had a recount of a zoning change that allowed multifamily development without planning board review. It passed 989 to 972. The recount upheld that result but the numbers changed to 992 in favor, 973 against.
Another article that year about shared accommodations passed by just four votes. According to a Mount Desert Islander brief at the time, “an error was discovered and the report was updated to a 14-vote margin, 941-927. The recount results were 942-930.” Arthur Grief and Donna Karlson had requested the recounts, which took 3.5 hours, involved 21 election clerks, and cost $2,100.
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