Bangor City Council Chairman Joe Baldacci and councilor Sean Faircloth will not seek re-election.
Council member Ben Sprague, whose term is also expiring, is the only incumbent running for re-election in November. The other candidates for council include Andrew Bennett, Allen “Seth” Braun, Clare Davitt, Steven Harrison and Laura Supica.
Baldacci, a two-time chairman who has served on the council for a total of 12 years, is brother to former Maine Gov. John Baldacci. He first won a council seat in 1996. Baldacci has served two consecutive three-year terms and could run for a third — a council member can serve no more than three consecutive terms at a time — but he said he doesn’t “feel the need.”
Now, with his daughters, Caroline and Olivia, soon heading to college, Baldacci said Friday he wants to focus on his family and his Bangor-based law practice.
“I think I can fairly say that I’ve completed my service, and I am proud of the job I’ve done,” Baldacci said.
Baldacci campaigned for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2016 against Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin but dropped out of the race after he struggled to raise enough money.
The Bangor native said he is interested in representing Maine Senate District 9 after Democratic Sen. Geoffrey Gratwick terms out in 2020. Baldacci also said he would “leave my options open” when considering to run again for the 2nd Congressional district seat.
Baldacci said this is likely the end of this council career.
“I don’t foresee that happening unless there’s some burning issue that’s going on,” he said.
Faircloth, a one-term councilor who runs Maine Mental Health Connections Inc., an organization that offers support services to people with mental illness, said he chose to not seek re-election because he accomplished his goals.
The five-term state legislator, who also served as city council chairman from 2015-2016, said the projects he set out to spearhead while on the council are all in various stages of development — including a center that aims to welcome immigrants and a contest to identify ways to improve the city.
“My goal was to try to find projects that I thought would make a specific positive difference [in Bangor],” he said, “And I feel like I achieved that.”