FRANKLIN—The City Council will have at least one new member on July 1. Councilman Mark Fetherolf, who represents Ward 6, said that he wouldn’t seek re-election to the seat in May.

“Twelve years is good enough for me, and I’m retiring,” he said before Monday night’s council meeting. Fetherolf, who was first elected to the council in as a write-in candidate in 1998, said it was time to “get a new face” on council. Don Blythe and Jennifer Bernocco challenged Fetherolf in 2006, but neither could be reached for comment about their intentions this year.

Mayor Jim Councill, one of the other three council members up for election this year, is in the process of filing the necessary paperwork to run again.

“I’ve got most of my petitions together,” he said.

In 2008, Ellis Crum and Greg McLemore challenged Councill.

“I’m undecided,” McLemore said of his intentions to run for City Council. “Somebody needs to do something as far as I’m concerned.

“I’ve just got issues with our City Council and how they do business,” he said.

Crum said Tuesday that he isn’t ready to announce whether or not he plans to run for mayor again just yet.

“All of the infrastructure is in place,” he said.

Councilwoman Mary Hilliard said that she is also seeking re-election to her seat; she was reelected without opposition in 2006.

“I am in the process of collecting signatures,” she said. “I’m going to give it another turn.”

Councilwoman Rosa Lawrence said she is seeking a second term representing Ward 3. Lawrence, who replaced E. Kent Pope in 2006, said she is planning on “running strong.”

Sandy Holloman, Franklin’s voter registrar, said Friday that no candidates had filed paperwork to run for the four seats that are up for election this year. The deadline to file paperwork for the May 4 election is March 2.