From 2012 to 2020, Brian Hubbell represented Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Lamoine in the Maine State Legislature.
Respected by colleagues and advocates for his depth of knowledge on education policy and finance, Hubbell served on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Education Committees. Hubbell represented the legislature on the Maine Economic Growth Council, the Governor’s 2020 Economic Recovery Committee, and the Maine Climate Council’s Scientific and Technical Subcommittee. He also chaired the Legislature’s commission on school funding and served on the college affordability commission.
His other areas of policy work have included support for scientific research and development, transportation infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate change.
A construction project manager by profession, he served ten years on the Bar Harbor school board and chaired the Mount Desert Island Regional School System.
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Now serving his third term, Representative Brian Hubbell represents Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Lamoine in the Maine State Legislature.
Respected by colleagues and advocates for his depth of knowledge on education policy and finance, Hubbell serves on the Legislature’s Education Committee. He also chairs the Legislature’s commission on school funding and serves on the college affordability commission.
His other areas of policy work have included support for scientific research and development, transportation infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate change.
A construction project manager by profession, he served ten years on the Bar Harbor school board and chaired the Mount Desert Island Regional School System.
I live in an adjoining district, in Sedgwick. I applaud you for your seasoned and reasonable comments, and your call for the Governor to resign. This man has caused this state immense harm, and none of wish to continue being regarded as the laughing stock of the country simply because we are “led” by this man whose bullying, overtly racist and sexist agenda, and complete failure to address the opioid epidemic, all of which are dragging us down. I am hoping Ken Fredette sees the merits of this stance as a step in the right direction for Maine. Let us all remember Margaret Chase Smith’s courage 60 years ago, when she condemned the acts of a fellow Republican, and won a place in the hearts of Mainers of both parties.
Rep. Hubbell,
You may have heard of Rebecca Van Wormer, she was my best friend and an advocate of the Death with Dignity Law for many reasons, but most notably because of her own battle and recent death from cancer.
I am committed to helping to getting this bill passed, for my own reasons, but also to honor her memory and to help fulfill her final wish.
Please let me know what, if anything, I can do to help you as you move this bill forward. Becky has done a lot already and has garnered a ton of media coverage around her wish for Millinocket and now death for dignity, I believe that she has set us all up to finish the charge and make this happen. I have been in constant contact with her husband Ken and we are ready to act and help with whatever we can.
Thank you for your time and I am hopeful that I will hear from you soon.
Dear Brian, below is the email I sent to Governor Mills today through the state’s website. Any assistance in getting closer to clear guidelines is much appreciated. We have been living in “limbo” for too long, and it’s costing many homeowners unnecessarily.
Dear Governor Mills,
I am writing on behalf of The Knowles Company, a real estate and vacation rentals company in Northeast Harbor on Mt. Desert Island, where I currently work as a Vacation Rental Agent. Each year, our company writes over 1000 leases, nearly 40% of which are on behalf of Maine families who rent their homes through our agency. Our leases generate a gross income of more than five million dollars. We contribute nearly half a million in lodging tax revenue to the state through our company, not to mention contributing to the salaries of cleaners, caretakers, builders, and other service providers in the Mt. Desert area. We have been operating since 1898, so, yes, even through the Spanish Flu pandemic, Knowles was there.
We know that you are managing a challenging balancing act between protecting your citizens and protecting the economy, and we do not envy your position. Nor do we possess access to the experts who are advising you. However, we do have access to the opinions and perspectives of many travelers. We have dozens upon dozens of conversations with out-of-state homeowners and travelers each day, and here is what we are hearing repeatedly:
• “Maine doesn’t want us to come. We don’t feel welcome.”
• “As long as I can go to a grocery store and into the park or nature preserve, I still wish to visit.”
• “We understand why quarantine is necessary, but we have been in quarantine for three months. Doesn’t that count?”
• “What are the guidelines for quarantine? We can’t find definite answers about recreational areas. It says we can walk outside but to avoid public places. What does that mean?”
• “If I have to sit in my house all day long, what’s the point of coming to enjoy the outdoors?”
• “The rules favor the wealthy who can afford a four-week vacation. What about those of us who have saved for a year, just so we can come for a single week? Don’t we deserve a chance to enjoy Acadia too?”
• “I may lose my home if I’m not able to rent it out. These rules are killing me and aren’t necessary to protect the public.”
• “I have made these plans since December, but I can’t come without knowing what the rules are going to be, so I might as well cancel my reservation now.”
• “I’d like to make a reservation now, but I can’t unless things ease up.”
• “My cleaning schedule is so unsettled, since I don’t know whether or not I’ll have turnovers to clean, I have know assurance of income at this point.”
Based on these interactions, we have three proposals:
1) Modify or reconsider the 14-day quarantine rule for out-of-state travelers to permit by June 1 access to essential services and outdoor recreational areas, provided people wear masks at all times when in public and avoid crowded areas where social distancing is not practical.
2) Deliver immediately clear and measured guidelines that specifically address rental homes and vacationers in rentals homes that can be easily retrieved and reviewed by homeowners and incoming travelers from the state’s websites and handed out at toll booths and airports across the state as people arrive. Your current guidelines for lodging are largely focused on b’n’b’s, hotels, and motels, and more often than not are not applicable to private rentals. At this point, there is so much uncertainty about July and August, travelers are finding it impossible to make meaningful plans.
3) Provide optional testing for those who wish to “test out” of self-quarantine, or the ability to present their own test results, obtained from their home-state.
We know we are not alone with these concerns. Please let us send a balanced message of trust and respect for so many good people who are willing to play by the rules, as long as they are both clear to follow and not too draconian. Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Kate Chaplin, Rental Agent
The Knowles Company
PO BOX 367
1 Summit Road
Northeast Harbor, ME 04662
VOICE 207 276 3322 x 234
FAX 207 276 4114
knowlesco.com