PITTSFIELD — The Pittsfield Town Council will look very different in January 2022, with three of its seven councilors — Mayor Heather Donahue, Deputy Mayor Timothy Nichols and at-large member Amanda Collamore — leaving their seats for different reasons.
In November, Eric Saucier won the District 4 council seat over Donahue. Nichols did not seek reelection for District 1 this year and no candidates filed paperwork, but write-in candidate Ron Jester will fill the position. Michael Cianchette ran unopposed for the at-large council seat on the ballot.
Collamore, who also represents District 106 (Clinton, Detroit and Pittsfield) in the Maine House of Representatives, announced her resignation in September. As head of the finance committee, she remained on the council until the end of the year to help complete the town budget.
As two new councilors prepare to be sworn in at the start of the new year, the faces the public has seen for some time — especially Nichols, who has served in various positions on the council for 24 years — will change. New councilors may bring new ideas and projects to the table. The town will hold a special election in 2022 to find a new at-large councilor to replace Collamore, Town Manager Kathryn Ruth said.
Whoever is elected for the position will serve the remainder of Collamore’s three-year term, which is listed on the town’s website as ending in 2023.
“When the council meets in regular session in January, … we will have the election for mayor and deputy mayor, and then once concluded, the rest of the regular business will be addressed,” Ruth said.
Typically councilors nominate a member of the group for the mayor and deputy mayor positions, which are called chairpeople, presidents and other titles depending on the municipality.
Peter Logiodice IV (District 3), Brent Frost (District 2) and Jason Hall (at-large) serve on the council.
Nichols and Collamore offered parting remarks at the meeting Tuesday, Dec. 7. Donahue said she would save her thoughts for the public hearing for the town’s budget Dec. 21.
Nichols thanked many councilors, current and former, who he worked alongside. He served for seven years as mayor and for five years as deputy mayor, he said.
He grew up in Pittsfield and attended school with Councilor Brent Frost and Councilor Michael Cianchette’s brother. Pittsfield was vastly different in 1997, when he first joined the council, compared to modern times.
“I have watched towns that were content to stand still in the ‘80s and ‘90s and today they’re behind the eight ball and they’re dying towns. … If you stand still too long, you get left behind,” he said. “That’s just the way this economy is now.”
Nichols encouraged councilors to remain civil and open to new ideas. The councilor also recommended that anyone who cares deeply about Pittsfield and local politics to get involved.
“It’s time for some younger people to come in,” he said. “You don’t want a whole council of people who were born when Dwight Eisenhower was president. You need fresh eyes, fresh ideas.”
Collamore, who graduated the year before Nichols’ son, thanked him and said she is lucky to have lived in Pittsfield most of her life, besides several years when her father was stationed in Illinois.
“Between everything I have going at the legislative level and at work and now some personal family things, I unfortunately have to end my term a year earlier than I had planned. … I appreciate all of you and everything that we’ve done,” she said. “I appreciate all of our discussions.”
Collamore will continue to serve the town in other ways, she said.