Town Councilor Bill Cole is stepping down from the council after the June 24 meeting, as a new job is taking him and his family out of town.
Cole, who previously served on the Planning Board and was elected to the Town Council in November 2024, made the announcement at the May 13 council meeting. His term would have been up in 2027.
Cole’s departure will leave three seats on the five-member council up for grabs in November, when the three-year terms of Melissa Costella and Jeff Minihan will end.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time on both the Planning Board and as a councilor,” Cole said at the meeting. “There’s a lot of things I’m going to miss about living in South Berwick and the community in general. And one of them is being part of this team, and being on the precipice of all these really exciting projects coming to fruition. So we’ll be back in the area a lot.”
To a round of appreciative laughter from councilors and town staff, Cole promised, “I’ll make sure to get back in 2028 and drive through the (new) traffic lights.”
“As a dad,” he added later in an email, “I am going to miss the community, the friends and the teachers that have made South Berwick an amazing place to live.”
The council will work with just four members until the election in November, according to Chair Mallory Cook.
Under the town charter, when a vacancy occurs less than six months prior to the next regular municipal election, the town is not required to hold a special election for the unexpired portion of the term.
Reached for comment about running for another term, Costella said, “At this time, I certainly have the intentions to seek reelection.”
Said Minihan, “As of right now I’m not planning to run, but there’s a chance that could change.”
