Someone recently commented to me that Camden feels more like Camden, Incorporated rather than Camden, “where the mountains meet the sea.”

Given where Camden seems to be heading recently, based on a pattern of town government postures and initiatives, I must say, I resonate with this perspective. 

Increasingly, Camden feels like it’s being operated like a greedy, self-serving corporate entity rather than a helpful and welcoming municipal one.  Camden, Inc. is in full force with little regard for the residents of neighboring towns, for its non-resident taxpayers and property owners, for its business owners (who all pay taxes), and for its summer visitors who are the lifeblood of the economy.

A case in point is the recent paid parking effort spearheaded by Camden, Inc.

This voluntary initiative is solely motivated by money and seemingly with no regard or sensitivity to the reality that we live in a “community” and share our downtown with many others who live elsewhere than Camden. 

The whole paid parking effort is the definition of tone deaf. Even Camden homeowners who don’t vote or register their car in Camden can’t even qualify for a so-called “free parking pass” afforded to resident taxpayers even though they are taxpayers, too!  Can you imagine not being able to park in front of your house? This makes no sense. 

Ditto for business owners, who also pay taxes and who just live nearby in surrounding towns. If you live in Rockport and your kids go to the middle school—forget about it.  You’re definitely paying for parking, too, when you shop after dropping or picking up your kids.  No consideration for you either. 

And don’t forget about our cherished tourists and visitors who apparently are happy to pay for parking per some on the Select Board.  Camden, Inc. and their paid parking obsession is just a means to fleece others and make a quick buck without doing the real tough work of balancing and realigning a municipal budget that is simply off the rails.

Camden, Inc. is dead set on fleecing “others” with fees and fines no matter the cultural cost to our town or the potential unintended consequences that are hard to reverse. Money generation, no matter how paltry, is paramount above all else in a corporate structure.

Is a few hundred thousand dollars (which is what paid parking will generate for Camden) really worth all the negatives?  We haven’t needed paid parking in the history of Camden so why all of a sudden now is this the only solution to balance the budget? Is the sky really falling if we don’t implement a paid parking program in Camden?  Isn’t there another way?

For unknown reasons, town policies and positions in the past few years have sought to differentiate between types of Camden property owners who are all taxpayers fundamentally.  By creating distinctions between those who are voting taxpayers and those who are just taxpayers, Camden, Inc. has sought to tap out whatever it can from its non-resident taxpayers, business owners, and community members.

The recent short-term rental ordinance debate brought this into sharp relief with the realization that some types of taxpayers would pay more and some would pay less for the exact same STR registration process simply based on where they vote irrespective of the common denominator of being a Camden property owner and by default a full-fledged taxpayer.  What this says to those non-resident taxpayers is that they are essentially “second class citizens” and their only value is to pay taxes to the town.  And most inexplicably, they shouldn’t just pay their fair share—but they should pay more simply by virtue of not being a full-time Camden resident.  I don’t know about you, but that just seems wrong and unfair.  It’s the definition of fleecing.  

Camden, Inc. is a marked departure from the historic posture of our inclusive municipal operations as well as our countless locals who have happily co-existed with generations of summer and seasonal property owners who have always played an important role in Camden’s cultural identity.  These summer folks are often similar to their year-round counterparts but simply live elsewhere.  These “summer residents” engage and participate in their town too, contributing and enriching our shared community in so many ways.  They are proud to live in Camden and have similar pride in their town like full-timers.

So, why does Camden, Inc. seem to be going out of its way to nickel and dime everyone else with this parking mess to make an irrelevant amount all the while pissing off just about everyone?  It makes no sense but sometimes corporations are mismanage, get lost, and become disconnected from the mission and become out of step with the priorities of those it serves.

In light of the recent Select Board election, I hope the new member make-up and agenda setting will help foster a return to Camden “where the mountains meet the sea,” where all taxpayers are respected and valued and where our neighbors, business owners, and visitors are equally appreciated for all that they contribute economically and culturally to our town. 

Lastly, I hope we can reverse the trend of Camden, Inc. ballooning the budget with excesses and other mismanagement that leads to such a disastrous paid parking effort that no one even asked for or wanted to begin with. 

The sooner we dump Camden, Inc. and get back to disciplined fiscal management with an emphasis on saving money and not wasting it on $300K parking kiosks, the sooner we can return Camden to a community of inclusion with leadership from the Town Manager on down that will enhance and protect the ethos that has always defined our wonderful town why we all choose to live here.

Alex Cohen lives in Camden