The Brunswick Town Council on Tuesday elected a new leader and welcomed the four members elected in November.

First-term District 3 Councilor Abby King was unanimously elected chairperson, replacing James Mason, who did not run for reelection. King previously served as vice chairperson.

“Thank you to my fellow councilors for nominating and electing me to this office,” King said. “I look very much forward to working with all of you, especially our new councilors, and serving the people of Brunswick.”

District 4 Councilor Sande Updegraph nominated King to the position, calling it a “great honor.” Updegraph was elected the new vice chairperson.

Incumbent District 4 Councilor Jennifer Hicks, who was reelected in November, and new councilors Steve Weems (District 7), Nathan MacDonald (at-large) and James Ecker (at-large) were sworn in Tuesday. Weems replaced Mason, while MacDonald replaced Kathy Wilson, who did not seek reelection. Ecker replaced Dan Ankeles, who resigned to focus more on his work as a state representative. Ecker will finish Ankeles’ term, which expires in November.

King recently led efforts to secure grants to keep The Gathering Place’s warming shelter open nightly through the winter for those experiencing homelessness and make Brunswick’s public bus service free for riders for a year.

Hicks is serving her first full term after winning a special election last year to fill a vacant seat. She cited supporting the environment and improving communication between residents and town leadership as priorities.

MacDonald is the development and community engagement director for the Maine-based Family Violence Project, a domestic violence resource center. He is board president of Queerly ME, a local nonprofit that works with the LGBTQ community. He said he will focus on affordable housing, climate-friendly initiatives, economic development and fiscal responsibility.

Weems, a former two-term councilor who served from 1991–1995, is a business owner who has served as a trustee of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority and vice chairperson of the town’s Sustainability Committee. He stressed the importance of “looking ahead, not backwards, to anticipate, plan and get ahead of the many potentially tumultuous pressures that are heading our way (homelessness, waves of climate and other refugees, serious population pressures), with a goal of anticipating challenges rather than reacting to crises, accommodating positive change while protecting the essence of what we cherish about living in Brunswick.”

Ecker is director of project management for Waste Management. He said he decided to run “with the hope of maintaining balance and rational decision-making on the council as we address both the challenges and opportunities facing the community in the years to come.”

He said his priorities are controlling the budget, supporting schools and driving sustainability.

“I intend to listen well as we navigate keeping Brunswick affordable while also tackling the significant challenges associated with a rapidly changing economy, a growing population and protection of the environment,” he said.

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