WATERVILLE — City Councilor Ken Gagnon, D-Ward 5, resigned this week from the council after nine months in the seat, citing a lack of time to effectively serve.

Gagnon took the post earlier this year after having run unopposed in a special election April 2. The seat previously was held by now-Mayor Mike Morris, who took office in January. The Ward 5 council term expires in 2025.

Ken Gagnon Courtesy of city of Waterville

Gagnon said on his social media page that he resigned Monday.

“I am passionate about Waterville and government overall, but I simply do not have the required time, under the recently revised City Charter, to effectively serve,” he said. “I will continue to invest energy serving our community in more productive ways. Thank you to all of those who have supported my efforts to limit residential tax hikes. We need to continue fighting this battle.”

An email from Gagnon to Morris and Council Chairwoman Rebecca Green, D-Ward 4, dated Monday and acquired from City Hall, said his decision to resign was not an easy one. The reasons, he said, are “numerous and interwoven,” but he does not have the time to effectively serve.

“I’ve concluded that turning over the seat to someone else is what’s best for me, my family, my friends in the government, and of course, my constituents,” he said. “I think the timing is right. Budget season is about to begin, and I trust the Council will be vigilant in protecting our middle-class residents, especially the elderly, from continued property tax hikes.”

City Clerk Patti Dubois said Wednesday that the council must declare a vacancy in the position, and that likely will happen at the next council meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Councilors must then call a special election to fill the vacancy. Such an election could occur in April or March next year, according to Dubois.

This is not the first time Gagnon has served on the council. He was elected to the council in 1996 and then to the Maine Legislature the following year. He served four years in the state House of Representatives and six years in the Maine Senate.

During his most recent tenure on the City Council, Gagnon argued against tax increases and most recently opposed a plan to change City Hall employees‘ work schedule from five to four days a week, a proposal the council ultimately approved on a trial basis.