Bath voters on Tuesday elected a new state representative, approved $30 million in infrastructure spending and installed three new city councilors, among other measures.
David Sinclair. Jason Claffey / The Times Record
Democrat David Sinclair, a lawyer and former city councilor, ran unopposed for Bath’s lone state representative seat that was vacated by Sean Paulhus, who left in the middle of his term earlier this year to become the Sagadahoc County register of probate. Sinclair will finish Paulhus’ term, which expires next year.
Sinclair said he will focus on affordable housing in Augusta. He said his positions include mitigating climate change and gender- and race-based wage gaps, and promoting women’s reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care.
Megan Mansfield-Pryor, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection who serves on the city’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, won a four-way race for an at-large City Council seat over David Levi, Michael Reavely and Michael Plaisted. It was the only contested race on the ballot. Mansfield-Pryor earned 1,289 votes, while Levi earned 493, Reavely earned 276 and Plaisted earned 229.
Mansfield-Pryor said she will focus on affordable housing, public transportation, broadband connectivity and helping to preserve the city’s landfill.
Megan Mansfield-Pryor. Courtesy photo
“As regional and global challenges arise, we need to proactively take sensible steps to maintain Bath’s quality of life for everyone,” she said. “Housing prices and rents have risen significantly in recent years, commuting for jobs and schooling is on the rise again, and our waste and emissions output is increasing as our community size grows. I believe we can better manage these local and global concerns through strategic initiatives that consider our city’s immediate and future needs equally.”
Christopher Marks (Ward 1) and Caitlin McCorkle (Ward 6) were also elected to the City Council Tuesday. The three new councilors replace Phyllis Bailey, Susan Bauer and Elizabeth Dingley, who decided not to run for reelection.
Marks, 59, has worked as a scientist, laboratory manager, chemistry teacher and editor.
“I will work hard to solve well-defined problems and to help people, especially those most in need,” he said. “I’m skeptical of solutions in search of problems and abstract benefits.”
McCorkle, 35, is a vice president at the communications firm BerlinRosen.
Caitlin McCorkle. Courtesy photo
“I like to get involved and make things happen and am willing to take a leadership role when I see a void that needs to be filled,” she said. “I am really interested in improving communication between City Hall, the council and residents. I’ve noticed that much of what happens in local government goes unknown by residents until its impact hits them in the face (or the wallet).”
Voters approved two bond questions, one for $25 million for sewer upgrades and another for $5 million for street repairs, as well as four city charter amendments regarding public notices, gender-neutral terms, election officials and petition forms. The sewer question passed by a 2,261-491 vote and the street question passed by a 2,205-433 vote.
The $25 million bond will pay for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, pump stations and wastewater collection, and efforts to stop overflows into the Kennebec River. The $5 million bond will pay for street and sidewalk repairs; the city will conduct a study to identify which ones will be repaired.
The four charter amendments passed by overwhelming margins. They will clarify inconsistencies in publishing ordinance and bond ordinances and remove publications not required by state, including ending the requirement that the city publish bond ordinances twice in local newspapers; replace male references to the city manager and council chairperson with gender-neutral pronouns; end the requirement that the council appoint a warden and ward clerk for each city ward and instead appoint them for each voting place, as the city now holds elections at a central poll at Bath Middle School instead of multiple locations for its seven wards; and remove petitions from the charter and state they are available through the city clerk’s office.
Jamie Dorr, Bath’s representative on the Regional School Unit 1 board, and Jennifer Ritch-Smith, Woolwich’s representative on the board, were reelected to their posts Tuesday.
Jamie Dorr. Courtesy photo
Dorr has served on the board for one term. She’s the founder and executive director of the Midcoast Youth Center.
“I will continue to be an advocate for social-emotional learning as the strong foundation of all other learning and finding ways RSU 1 can collaborate with local partners to create even greater opportunities and success for local students and their families,” Dorr said.
Ritch-Smith has served on the board for 10 years and works for local nonprofit organizations. She said her priority is one of the board’s new goals, ensuring pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade programming supports essential skills.
A majority of Bath residents voted against the Pine Tree Power initiative, which would have established a state-run electric utility to replace Central Maine Power and Versant. A majority of residents also approved a right-to-repair law for vehicles and restoring voting rights for people in guardianship. Statewide, the Pine Tree Power initiative and guardianship question failed, while the right-to-repair law passed.
A total of 2,827 residents cast ballots, representing a turnout of 37%.
Below is a breakdown of how Bath residents voted on the eight statewide measures Tuesday.
Bath results for statewide referendum questions Nov. 7
Question 1: Requiring voter approval for $1 billion in public debt.
| Yes 1,657 | No 1,086 |
Question 2: Banning foreign government spending on elections.
| Yes 2,514 | No 273 |
Question 3: Creating Pine Tree Power, a publicly owned electric utility, to replace Central Maine Power and Versant.
| Yes 1,285 | No 1,502 |
Question 4: Approving a right-to-repair law that would require vehicles makers to standardize diagnostics and make access to vehicle systems available to owners and third-party shops.
| Yes 2,451 | No 335 |
Question 5: Extending time for the state to review citizen petitions.
| Yes 2,451 | No 877 |
Question 6: Including all sections in printed state constitutions.
| Yes 2,208 | No 528 |
Question 7: Repealing the requirement that petitioners live in Maine.
| Yes 939 | No 1,766 |
Question 8: Restoring voting rights for people in guardianship.
| Yes 1,514 | No 1,219 |
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