Bucksport’s Town Council membership will change by at least one person next year.
Steve Bishop, who is also a Republican state representative, did not return nomination papers for another three-year municipal term. Edward Rankin Jr., the other council member whose term expires at the end of the year, is seeking reelection.
Four candidates in total — Ralph Chapman, Teri Doty, Steven St. Peter Jr. and Rankin — are running for two open seats on the town’s seven-member council, according to Town Clerk Kelly Herrick.
The winners of the November election will help lead the town as it navigates a new budgeting era and considers reducing services.
Current members have said they expect to work in the coming year to cut costs now that the town has depleted savings accumulated before the late 2014 closure of its paper mill. Those savings helped the community maintain services for about a decade while limiting property tax increases.
Bishop previously sat on the town’s Board of Appeals and Planning Board before his one-year term on the council. Rankin has held his own seat for two terms.
In other municipal races, Emily Fitzgerald and incumbent Keith Kneeland Jr. will compete for one open seat to represent the town on the RSU 25 school board. Elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
