Lewiston voters will get a chance to shake up the ranks of elected officials in November, but with only half the seats they’re used to seeing on the ballot.

On Nov. 4, voters will elect city councilors in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7 and School Committee members in Wards 2, 4 and 6, and at-large. All are two-year terms. It’s the first official election for the city under new staggered terms created during the previous election following a charter change.

Mayor Carl Sheline was elected to a three-year term in 2023 as part of the shift to staggered terms, meaning his term and those of the remaining seats run through 2026.

For City Council in Ward 1, Josh Nagine is running unopposed for reelection.

In Ward 3, Councilor Scott Harriman will face a challenge from Charles Soule, who has run unsuccessfully for mayor and other seats several times.

Ward 5 Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair will run for reelection against Iman Osman, a School Committee member who works for Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services. Osman was appointed to the School Committee late last year. If elected to the council, the mayor would be tasked with nominating someone to fill the School Committee seat until the 2026 election.

With Councilor Tim Gallant not running for reelection in Ward 7, Bret Martel and David Projansky will face off for the seat.

Martel, who often speaks on issues during public comment at City Council meetings, ran unsuccessfully for Androscoggin County Commission as a Republican. Projansky had previously sought nomination as a Democrat for House District 96, but Michel Lajoie ultimately decided to run for reelection.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

The at-large seat is guaranteed a new face after longtime School Committee Chair Megan Parks recently announced she will not seek reelection.

Angela Burke, Luke Jensen and Marcel Leclair will vie for the seat. According to her LinkedIn page, Burke is an educator who worked for Lewiston schools until this year. Jensen, also an educator, is a former School Committee and City Council member who resigned from his council post in 2021 and ran for mayor in 2023. Leclair is married to Soule-Leclair, the Ward 5 city councilor.

Parks announced her decision last week, stating she has endured serious health issues over the past year.

“It has become clear that I need to prioritize my health and the time I give to the committees, boards, and projects I serve on, focusing my energy where my efforts can have the greatest impact,” she said. “Serving our great city of Lewiston and our students remains close to my heart. I will continue to be involved in ways that allow me to balance my health and time with my family, while still contributing to the community I care so deeply about.”

For the Ward 2 seat, committee member Janet Beaudoin will face a challenge from Melanie Leigh Gould. In a social media post this month, Gould said she’s lived in Lewiston for seven years, and for the past three years has served as an adviser to young women at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay through the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute.

In Ward 4, Julia Harper will face former City Councilor Rick LaChapelle for the seat after Craig Charpentier decided to step away. Harper is the education and outreach manager for Healthy Homeworks, providing first-time homebuyer education. LaChapelle, who served on the council from 2022-2023, is the owner of M&B LLC, Advanced Heating Solutions and Lewiston Pawn Shop.

Ward 6 School Committee member Meghan Hird, who is seeking reelection, will face a challenge from Benjamin Wilcox Daley. According to his social media page, Daley is an organic farmer and regular vendor at the Lewiston Farmers’ Market.