A pair of Bath city councilors will not be running for reelection, leaving two seats open for the November election.

Chairperson Mary Ellen Bell, who represents Ward 2 — the neighborhood adjacent to Bath Iron Works where she has lived for 30 years — announced she will not run for another term. Terry Nordmann of Ward 3 is also not seeking another term.

“It has been and continues to be a very full and productive time, and I love the work of the council, but it is time to turn my attention to my family and other pursuits,” Bell said in a press release.

Bell won a seat on the Bath City Council back in 2021 after she ran unopposed, claiming a three-year term. She was a social studies teacher at Wiscasset Middle High School for 32 years before getting involved in local government.

During Bell’s term as chairperson, the City Council revised “working rules” to institute a remote/hybrid meeting participation policy (in response to the COVID pandemic) and created performance review tools for the Bath city manager position. Bell has also led efforts to enhance efficiency and transparency for the council.

“At the most basic level, municipal government is about working together to get stuff done,” Bell said. “It is about city staff and elected officials consistently putting their best foot forward to listen to access needs, solve problems and plan improvements for all those who live here.”

More recently, Bell led the effort to create a new City Housing Committee, which was finalized in June 2024 to address a “clear need for housing,” and to refine numerous transportation committees. According to Bell, bicycle, pedestrian and transportation all fall under one committee instead of two.

Bell encourages people to consider serving on the Bath City Council to handle the new comprehensive plan, which is in place, and a Climate Action Plan and Zoning Recode, which are on the horizon.

Nordmann did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The seat of City Councilor Louis “Roo” Dunn of Ward 4 is also up for election this year, but Dunn plans on running to retain the seat.

The nomination papers for Bath City Council positions are available as of July 2 and have a final deadline of Aug. 20. According to Bath City Clerk Darcy Wheeler, 35 signatures are needed to run for City Council, and the number cannot exceed 100. Whoever gets elected to the City Council will serve until December 2027.