Bath voters on Nov. 7 will decide a contested race for a City Council seat and $30 million in infrastructure spending, among other measures.

Voting for the election, which also features eight statewide referendum initiatives, will be held at Bath Middle School from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Citizens can request absentee ballots through the city clerk or an online state portal.

The ballot features three City Council seats for Ward 1, Ward 6 and an at-large spot. All three incumbents are not running for reelection. The at-large seat is the only contested race, with four candidates.

The ballot also features uncontested races for two Bath-area school board seats and the city’s state representative seat that was vacated by Sean Paulhus, who left in the middle of his term earlier this year to become the Sagadahoc County register of probate. Lawyer and former Bath City Councilor David Sinclair won a Democratic caucus to run to finish Paulhus’ term; no other candidates filed to run.

Voters will decide on two bond questions, one for $25 million for sewer upgrades and another for $5 million for street repairs, as well as four city charter amendments regarding public notices, gender-neutral terms, election officials and petition forms.

City Council

Four candidates are running for the at-large seat being vacated by Elizabeth Dingley, who said she’s stepping down because she’s frustrated by council decisions she said don’t align with the will of citizens.

Megan Mansfield-Pryor, 44, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection, has lived in Bath since 2017. She serves on the city’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee and on the board of the Northeast Recycling Council, a nonprofit that advocates for waste sustainability in Maine and 10 other states. She’s married and had two children in the school district.

She said friends and neighbors encouraged her to run.

“I am familiar with the legislative process and think it is not drastically different from how decisions are made at the City Council, just at a different scale,” she said. “My educational background in sustainable community development also provides relevant knowledge for serving on (the) council, as I’m familiar with the basics of community planning, zoning and development.”

If elected, she said she would focus on affordable housing, public transportation, broadband connectivity and helping to preserve the city’s landfill.

“As regional and global challenges arise, we need to proactively take sensible steps to maintain Bath’s quality of life for everyone,” she said. “Housing prices and rents have risen significantly in recent years, commuting for jobs and schooling is on the rise again, and our waste and emissions output is increasing as our community size grows. I believe we can better manage these local and global concerns through strategic initiatives that consider our city’s immediate and future needs equally.”

Michael Reavely, 48, works at Bath Iron Works. He has lived in Bath since 2007.

“I decided to run for City Council so that I could give my perspective and experience,” he said. “I am focused on youth, education and services at reasonable costs. I also want to focus on how better to work with and meet the needs of the workers that flood into town every day. As an employee of Bath Iron Works, and an active member of (union) Local S6, I feel I have a needed perspective on how the town, the yard and its people interact.

“Tourism and the downtown are vital aspects of our unique city. … My hope is that I can help guide it with input and guidance from those of you who also have ideas and hopes for this town’s future.”

Michael Plaisted, 63, is retired after serving in the Army as a Russian linguist, foreign language instructor and diplomatic interpreter, and spending 22 years as a budget analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense.

“My government service provided me with a lot of experience with managing public sector budgets and the budgeting/budget execution process,” he said. “I will work to add value to vacant/undeveloped/underdeveloped areas while maintaining the city’s green spaces and historic charm.

“We have a great downtown but could do a lot more with our waterfront, Centre Street, Route 1 corridor. … Inexplicably, Bath is missing some things that all cities, large and small, should have: a movie theater, a dry cleaner, child care in the downtown area, a downtown gym/health club. I would like to put my effort as a member of the City Council into making Bath the best little city it can be.”

David Levi, 45, is a real estate manager, former high school teacher and former owner and executive chef of the Vinland restaurant in Portland.

“I decided to run for City Council to give voice to the specific perspectives, needs and concerns of families, particularly those with younger kids,” he said. “This includes … designing safer traffic patterns, expanding opportunities for outdoor play and engagement, and maintaining a safe and friendly community.

“My major points of focus will be to prevent property tax increases, to fight for tax cuts, to curtail unreasonable spending, to create safer traffic patterns, to build a downtown playground and to negotiate with (Bath Iron Works) to better meet the needs of both the business and the town. … I pledge, as an independent centrist, as a classical liberal, as a loving father and husband and Jewish man, I will do everything in my power to embody the life-affirming values upon which our country and culture was founded.”

Christopher Marks (Ward 1) and Caitlin McCorkle (Ward 6) are running unopposed for the seats held by Phyllis Bailey and Susan Bauer, respectively, who are not running for reelection.

Marks, 59, has worked as a scientist, laboratory manager, chemistry teacher and editor.

“I’ve long had an interest in serving in local government,” he said. “As councilor, I will work hard to solve well-defined problems and to help people, especially those most in need. I’m skeptical of solutions in search of problems and abstract benefits.”

McCorkle, 35, is a vice president at the communications firm BerlinRosen.

“I’ve long wanted to contribute to the betterment of my community and complete this kind of service,” she said. “I’ve been really encouraged by my older daughter.

“I seek out viewpoints from others, especially when they contrast with my own, and try to gather the facts before making an informed decision. I like to get involved and make things happen and am willing to take a leadership role when I see a void that needs to be filled. … I am really interested in improving communication between City Hall, the council and residents. I’ve noticed that much of what happens in local government goes unknown by residents until its impact hits them in the face (or the wallet).”

Councilors serve three-year terms.

Bond questions, charter amendments

Voters will be asked whether to approve a $24.7 million bond to pay for sewer projects over the next five years, including upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, pump stations and wastewater collection, and efforts to stop overflows.

City Manager Marc Meyers said the upgrades are necessary for the city to stay in compliance with state Department of Environmental Protection standards and the city’s plan for stopping sewer overflows into the Kennebec River.

“We’ve been taking major steps over the past 20–30 years to clean up these issues in Bath, and we’re now down to small but very expensive projects,” he said. “Our wastewater treatment plant is more than 50 years old and in need of upgrades.”

Voters will also be asked to approve a $5 million bond to pay for street and sidewalk repairs. Meyers said the council typically requests such a bond every five years. If the bond is approved, the city would be eligible for state funding for the projects.

“The condition of streets and sidewalks in Bath is the No. 1 concern from citizens,” Meyers said. “We need to conduct this borrowing to move forward and improve our infrastructure.”

If the bond is approved, the city would conduct a study to determine which streets and sidewalks will be prioritized for repairs.

Four charter amendments will appear on the ballot that Meyers said remove inconsistencies. The amendments were proposed by city staff and approved by the council.

• Question 1 would clarify inconsistencies in publishing ordinance and bond ordinances and remove publications not required by state, including ending the requirement that the city publish bond ordinances twice in local newspapers.
• Question 2 would replace male references to the city manager and council chairperson with gender-neutral pronouns.
• Question 3 would end the requirement for the council to appoint a warden and ward clerk for each city ward and instead appoint them for each voting place, as the city now holds elections at a central poll at Bath Middle School instead of multiple locations for its seven wards.
• Question 4 would remove petitions from the charter and state they are available through the city clerk’s office.

Regional School Unit 1 board

Jamie Dorr, Bath’s representative on the Regional School Unit 1 board, and Jennifer Ritch-Smith, Woolwich’s representative on the board, are running unopposed.

Dorr, 47, has served on the board for one term. She’s the founder and executive director of the Midcoast Youth Center.

“As we look forward, I will continue to be an advocate for social emotional learning as the strong foundation of all other learning and finding ways RSU 1 can collaborate with local partners to create even greater opportunities and success for local students and their families,” Dorr said. “I also feel strongly that we must first ensure their basic needs are being met (housing, food, mental well-being, etc.) before learning can happen. How are we as a district meeting those needs and fostering that sense of belonging across all grades and schools? How are we leaning on our partners to fill in the gaps? Those are the questions I will be asking.”

Ritch-Smith has served on the board for 10 years. She works for local nonprofit organizations.

She said her priority is one of the board’s new goals, ensuring pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade programming supports essential skills.

“I care for both our schools and our property taxpayers,” she said. “During my time serving on the board, I have worked hard to find an affordable solution to the best possible opportunities for our students.”

RSU 1 board members serve three-year terms.

State representative

Sinclair, 54, who in August defeated author Peter Macdonald Blachly in the Democratic caucus to run for Paulhus’ seat, served two terms on the Bath City Council from 2008–2014. He runs a Bath-based law practice and said he focuses on services for the underprivileged.

He said he plans to focus on affordable housing in the Legislature. He said his beliefs include mitigating climate change and gender- and race-based wage gaps and promoting women’s reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care.

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