The Smith family’s public relations campaign for its Rockport Harbor Hotel has been in full swing: 1/14/22 “Chamber Supports Rockport Harbor Hotel”, Village Soup; 1/18/22 group email soliciting signatures for a draft letter attacking Friends of Rockport and supporting the hotel; 1/18/22 similar group email from the Smiths; 1/23/22 “Rockport Harbor Hotel Design Fulfills National Standard”, Pen Bay Pilot.

In addition, the Smiths hosted two open houses at the hotel construction site this past weekend, inviting residents to “please join us for a walk through and a harbor view.” Ironically, the one thing you didn’t see if you attended – and which your future children and grandchildren might never see (without paying for the privilege) – is that once glorious historic harbor view from Goodridge Park and Central Street. It’s now a sea of brick.

The Smiths’ PR campaign is intended to sway the opinions of the Planning Board members who will meet this Thursday, 1/27. At the meeting, the Board will consider the architectural harmony and parking requirements of the hotel. Justice Bruce Mallonee of the Knox County Superior Court remanded these issues as having not been adequately vetted during the initial hearings. Justice Mallonee has ruled in our favor on almost every claim and is now considering the scenic view argument, as well.

The Friends of Rockport and residents never wanted this to end up in court. We appreciate the hard work of our elected and volunteer Town officials and our Town employees. We recognize and respect the entrepreneurial skills, civic contributions, and philanthropy of Stuart, Marianne and Tyler Smith.

We tried hard to seek mutually acceptable compromises from the very beginning. Long before any bricks were ever laid for the hotel, a large grassroots coalition of residents from all five neighborhoods sent emails to Debra Hall, the former Chair of the Select Board, and the current Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Board, Joe Sternowski and John Viehman, and to Bill Post, our former Town Manager.

We asked them to rely on objective data, not just the Smiths’ opinions or their own opinions, in making decisions about the hotel that will impact Rockport for generations. We asked them to at least commission an independent traffic and parking study, instead of relying on an informal one from 2009, which long predated the increased parking demands from Nina June and 18 Central, and our big new library.

We and others also personally asked the Smiths to actually build the small boutique hotel that we thought we were voting to authorize based upon Stuart’s comments before the vote

(34:53 https://livestream.com/Rockportmaine/events/7198735/videos/154495579). Many residents feel like their vote for the hotel played out a lot like their one for the library, which is why FOR was founded and is supported by so many residents. Bigger is not better in Rockport’s tiny historic downtown. Rockport residents have resisted the “Camdenization” of our beloved town ever since we split from Camden back in 1891.

It was only as a last resort that we started circulating the citizens’ petitions. This infuriated Chair Hall, who characterized our duly certified petitions as “offensive” and even “illegal” at a Select Board hearing. (7/29/20, “Rockport Select Board Chair Blasts Citizens Petitions”, Village Soup).

Before the August 18, 2020 election, an anonymous postcard also was mailed to every Rockport resident which falsely alleged that the citizens’ petitions were “private petitions” signed by “out of state VRBO owners.” In fact, over 325 registered voters from all five Rockport neighborhoods signed them. ( 8/1/20, “We Hope You Will Consider our Rockport Recommendations”, Pen Bay Pilot) It is not the plaintiffs who have made “misleading statements” as the Smiths claimed in their recent group mail. (1/18/21)

We believe this dispute never would have reached this point if Select Board Chair Michelle Hannan and Town Manager Jon Duke had been at the helm back then. Both are Rockport natives who are pragmatic, fiscally conservative and fair minded.

The previous administration told us that the cost of an independent traffic study (about $7,000) was “too expensive,” yet Chair Hall proceeded to chart an expensive and contentious course which has cost taxpayers over $120,000 so far in legal fees, and during a pandemic no less. Much of these legal fees were spent trying to overrule the expressed will of the Town’s own residents, who voted to limit the hotel to 20 rooms and require an independent parking study for exceptions like remote parking.

We can understand why the Smiths want to disregard the expressed will of Rockport voters, but we do not know why the Town is spending our taxpayer dollars to help them do so.

Although municipalities naturally like to support their elected and volunteer officials’ decisions, other towns often choose to take a more strategic and backseat role in situations like this, requiring the developer to bear the brunt of the legal fees when it is their fight, and they stand to make millions. Stuart Smith has said he will likely appeal Justice Mallonee’s decision all the way to the Maine Supreme Court and if he does, the Town should not require taxpayers to continue subsidizing his legal fees (1/17/22, “Rockport Hotel Developer Invites Public to Open House”, Pen Bay Pilot).

Friends of Rockport has tried to reach a reasonable solution from the very beginning. We believe that a settlement would be in the best interests of the Town, our residents and the Smiths. If you agree with us, please write to the Planning Board before Thursday’s meeting (planning@rockportmaine.gov),or to Michele Hannan or Jon Duke (mhannan@rockportmaine.gov or jduke@rockportmaine.gov).

Clare Tully is president of the Friends of Rockport