Island Briefs February 18, 2021 on News
A native of Northeast Harbor, Durlin E. Lunt Jr. has lived in Mount Desert all his life. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN SWARTZ
Town treasurer job upgraded
MOUNT DESERT The Board of Selectmen has approved Town Manager Durlin Lunt’s recommendation to upgrade the position of treasurer/tax collector to director of finance/treasurer. That action reverses a decision made in 2011 when, Lunt said, it had become hard to find someone who was capable or willing to take on the extra responsibilities of finance director.
Now, however, he told the board, “As governmental finance continues to evolve in complexity, the time has come to return to the finance director model.”
Towns asked to consider climate collaboration
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND Bar Harbor Town Councilor Jill Goldthwait is asking officials of surrounding towns if they might be interested in working together on sustainability issues and, perhaps, jointly hiring a sustainability coordinator.
She made her pitch at Tuesday’s meeting of the Acadia-area League of Towns board, which is composed of municipal administrators and elected officials.
“Are there towns that would like to get together for a conversation, so we know who is doing what, and talk about the possibility of doing something jointly?” Goldthwait asked.
“Bar Harbor is interested in hiring a sustainability coordinator, but we are not sure we can fund that position by ourselves, and it’s hard to think of attracting somebody to the island for a part-time position. We’re trying to create a climate action plan, and we probably would be well advised to have some professional help doing that.”
Tremont town manager resigns
TREMONT Selectmen reluctantly accepted the resignation of Town Manager Chris Saunders during their meeting Tuesday night, effective June 18.
He is leaving after three years in the role of town manager to move to southern Maine with his wife, Dr. Grace Price, who has been offered a fellowship at Maine Medical Center in Portland. They have a toddler son and Saunders explained to the board the move makes the most sense for their family.
“I have a lot of regrets about leaving Tremont; it’s a really terrific town,” Saunders told the board after announcing the departure during the meeting. “I’ve had a terrific experience here working with all of you and with the residents and the volunteers of the boards and the committees and the staff here at the office. It’s just a really great community. Personally, this is the right move for our family, but it is a bittersweet moment for me.”
Lessons learned in a pandemic year January 6, 2021 on News
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND It started out like any other year, but 2020 took a big turn for what some would consider the worst year in recent history.
While a global pandemic slowed our lives to a mere tick tock of the clock, the killing of a Black man in Minneapolis incited protests, and more people turned out to vote than in any other presidential election.
Many watched the world go by from their living rooms or chose to binge watch whatever their favorite streaming platform offered. Others took up hobbies like baking bread or cooking what could no longer be ordered from their favorite restaurant.