PITTSFIELD — Residents will see several municipal elections on November’s ballot, including two district Town Council seats, one at-large Town Council seat and two school board seats.

The only contested race on the ballot will be the District 4 council race, with incumbent Heather Donahue and Eric Saucier both running.

Donahue has been a councilor for several years and currently serves as mayor, a position that chosen from council members to lead the council. In a phone interview, she said she enjoys the opportunity to contribute to the community, and that she thinks her experience on the council make her a valuable candidate.

If Donahue is reelected, the council will vote on a mayor.

“There is something to be said for having someone on the council who has a little bit of institutional memory, for things that have come before the council before and progress on projects that are happening now, like the Main Street project and upcoming projects as well,” Donahue said. “I am looking forward to continuing to serve through some of those projects that have been in the works for a really long time.”

She also said that while some people talk about returning Pittsfield to the success it used to have, she prefers to focus on the future and the growth the city is seeing now, and finding the best way to manage that.

Saucier, a second-generation Pittsfield resident who hasn’t been involved in town government before, said that he feels strongly about town infrastructure and recreational opportunities.

“For some time now, District 4 and Pittsfield have been surviving, not thriving,” Saucier said by email. “We need renewed energy and a fresh perspective to lead our community into a position of looking forward to the future and not reminiscing on the good ol’ days.”

The District 1 seat will also be up for election, although no one filled out papers for the race, Town Clerk Nicole Nickolan said. The seat is currently held by Deputy Mayor Tim Nichols, who is not running for reelection.

Voters can write in a resident and the seat will be offered to the write-in candidate with the most votes, but that person may turn down the position, Nickolan said. If that were to happen, the seat would remain vacant and the council could vote to hold a special election later.

The final council election is for an at-large position, with only one candidate, the incumbent Michael Cianchette. He served on the council for several years before stepping away, and returned to win his current seat in a special election earlier this year. That election was only to finish out the original term, which expires at the end of the year.

“I’m looking for new leadership in this town, we need people that can make decisions and don’t worry about what people think of them,” Cianchette said.

One seat that won’t be on the ballot is state Rep. Amanda Collamore’s at-large council seat, even though she announced her resignation last month, effective at the end of the year. Nickolan said the town can’t hold an election for the seat until Collamore has stepped down, and it’s actually vacant.

There are also two seats on the Maine School Administrative District 53 school board up for election. One seat is currently vacant and has no candidates, and the other is held by Chris Weymouth who is running for reelection.

Weymouth has served on the school board for several years and has two children in the district. He said he’s running for reelection because he likes to be involved in the community and support the students.

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