Bath city councilors Sean Paulhus, left, and Mari Eosco, right, have announced that they are running for the House 52 seat as Democrats. (Photo courtesy of The Forecaster)
BATH — A second Bath city councilor has tossed their hat in the ring for the recently vacated House District 52 seat.
On Monday evening, Vice Chairman Sean Paulhus, a Democrat, announced that he would be running for the seat in the Maine House of Representatives. Earlier that day, Council Chairwoman Mari Eosco had announced she would be running for the seat, also as a Democrat.
“I’ve always been interested in possibly running for the Legislature, having worked there in the past,” said Paulhus in an interview Tuesday. “When Jennifer announced, I felt like it was a good opportunity to jump in.”
Paulhus is a Bath native and Morse High School graduate. After graduating from Marietta College in Ohio, Paulhus returned to Bath and ran for a city council position. In 2008, Paulhus won a seat on the Bath City Council, and at age 22 was the youngest councilor in Bath history.
“I kind of bring a younger perspective,” said Paulhus.
Paulhus currently works as an administrative assistant in the Office of the State Auditor, though he’s held a number of roles in Augusta over the last decade, including serving as the sergeant at arms in the Legislature and aide to the secretary of the Senate among other positions.
“I know the day to day routines, and I’ve built relationships with legislators on the Senate and the house sides already. On day one I can start working,” said Paulhus. “I think that’s something citizens of Bath want in their new legislator, someone who’s going to be able to jump right in right away and start working on the big issues at the state house, and I can do that.”
Former Rep. Jennifer DeChant, D-Bath, abruptly announced her resignation last week in order to take a job in the private sector. DeChant has represented Bath in the Legislature since 2012. She had just won her fourth and final term in the Maine House of Representatives in November.
It’s unclear yet if more candidates will jump into the race in the coming weeks. There won’t be a primary to select candidates — Republicans and Democrats will caucus separately to choose their respective candidates on the ballot.
A date for the special election has yet to be set. In all likelihood, it will be set for the same day as the election to fill the Ward 4 seat on the city council, which has been vacant since Councilor Bernard Wyman died last Tuesday.
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