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Durlin Lunt
The Lost Waterfront of Otter Creek, Maine
Join us for a history talk with Durlin Lunt based on his 2026 Chebacco article "Otter Creek’s Lost Waterfront" which examines the power dynamics between this small community and federal agencies, illustrating how unrecorded agreements transformed a thriving maritime hub into an 'island within an island.'
Durlin Lunt Jr. is a seasoned public administrator and dedicated local historian with a deep leadership legacy in the Town of Mount Desert. Durlin’s decades of civic service include serving on the Mount Desert Selectboard from 1975 to 1992 and leading the community as Chair of the Board from 1985 to 1992. He later returned to executive leadership as the Town Manager for Mount Desert from 2010 until his retirement in 2025, during which time he served as the Chair of the Acadia Area League of Towns. He spearheaded a vital municipal initiative to reclaim community access to the Otter Creek waterfront, navigating complex land donation discussions with the National Park Service surrounding the area's historically controversial acquisition of lands that resulted in Otter Creek being the only village on Mount Desert cut off from its historic working waterfront.
Durlin’s career in public service is rooted in strong academic foundations. At the University of Maine, while a graduate student in the School of Public Administration, he was nominated by the faculty for a Presidential Internship in Washington, D.C. and graduated as the recipient of the 1997 Barrie Blunt Outstanding Graduate Award. His professional impact in the state was again recognized in 2022 when the Maine Town and City Management Association honored him with the Linc Stackpole Maine Manager of the Year Award. This unique intersection of long-term executive municipal leadership and research provides a rare, insider perspective on the politics, preservation, and legacy of "The Lost Waterfront of Otter Creek, Maine."
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