BATH — A special election will be held on April 2 to fill vacancies on the City Council and in the state House of Representatives.

Councilor Bernie Wyman, Bath’s longest-serving city councilor after 28 years, died on Jan. 29. Rep. Jennifer DeChant, D-Bath, resigned her House District 52 seat on Feb. 1.

The City Council on Tuesday declared Wyman’s Ward 4 seat vacant and established April 2 as the day to elect someone to complete the term that expires in December 2021.

Nomination papers can be obtained through Feb. 27. They require at least 35 signatures from registered voters, and no more than 100. Papers must be returned to the office of City Clerk Mary Howe between Friday and 4:30 p.m. March 1.

DeChant, who was first elected to the House in 2012, won a fourth term last November and would have termed out in 2020. Her replacement will finish that term.

DeChant now works for Charter Communications, the telecommunications and media company that owns Spectrum. She is the company’s manager of government affairs and community relations for the northeast region, which is based in Portland.

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An order from Gov. Janet Mills issued late last week calls for Bath’s Democratic, Green Independent and Republican committees to nominate candidates for House District 52.

Nomination papers are due at the office of Secretary of State Matt Dunlap on Friday, and write-in candidates must file declarations by March 1.

Democrats Mari Eosco and Sean Paulhus – the council chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively – have announced their candidacies for DeChant’s seat.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 2 in the Bath Middle School cafeteria, 6 Old Brunswick Road,

Alex Lear can be reached at 780-9085 or at:

alear@theforecaster.net. Twitter: learics