BANGOR, Maine — Pauline Civiello will not seek a second term after serving for three years on the Bangor City Council, she announced this week.
Civiello said that she would remain involved with neighborhood activities but will not seek re-election in November.
“I think that three years is quite a time commitment, and I don’t see myself as a career politician,” she said Tuesday, adding that she made no personal commitment to seek re-election when she ran three years ago.
Civiello declined comment when asked if she would endorse a candidate in the November election.
To date, four candidates have qualified to run for three openings on the council. They are David Nealley, an incumbent and local businessman; Sarah Nichols, coordinator of development for St. Joseph’s Healthcare; Paul LeClair, an outspoken resident who frequently speaks publicly on council decisions, and William Osmer, an unsuccessful candidate for the Maine House of Representatives in 2012.
As of Tuesday, candidates Michael Alpert and Gary Capehart also had qualifying paperwork circulating as they sought the signatures of 100 Bangor voters before Friday’s deadline. According to City Clerk Lisa Goodwin, candidate Justin Freeman, an accountant who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2014, has decided not to return his qualifying paperwork.
A past proponent of granting the council line-item veto authority over the Bangor school budget as well as requiring direct voter approval for large public projects that require the city to borrow money, Civiello is among the council’s more conservative members.
Looking back over her tenure, Civiello said this week she was surprised at times by how political the council was, despite being a non-partisan group.
“Citizens of Bangor I think expect a more neutral stance on politics,” she said.
She declined to give specifics when asked what actions she was most proud of during her tenure, instead saying she would not take credit for anything she did not accomplish alone.
After the early departure of Councilor Patricia Blanchette, who was not eligible for re-election due to term limits, Civiello said this week she will definitely serve the remaining weeks of her council term.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.