Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini will not run for reelection, but will consider running for a higher office down the road.

There has been a conspicuous exodus of Seacoast municipal leaders in recent weeks. Former Dover mayor Scott Meyers resigned in late June to accept a position as city manager of Laconia. Somersworth Mayor Lincoln Soldati, whose life was turned upside-down by a fire that destroyed his house last year, announced his resignation in August. In Kittery, Maine, town manager Jonathan Carter recently announced he would be leaving to fill the same position in Wells later in September.

The latest departure comes from Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini, who announced last week that he will not seek reelection in November. Ferrini will serve the remainder of his term, which runs through December, but after that he’s planning to spend time with his family and consider future political ambitions.

Ferrini stated he has no present plans to run for higher office in 2012, putting to rest speculation that he would seek the District 1 Congressional seat currently occupied by another former mayor, Republican Frank Guinta of Manchester.

Ferrini announced his decision on Aug. 24 at a press conference in his office at City Hall, where he was joined by Assistant Mayor Nancy Novelline Clayburgh, councilors Jerry Hejtmanek and Robert Lister, and city manager John Bohenko.

But Ferrini, a Democrat, left open the possibility that he will run for a higher political office in the future. An attorney with a private practice in Dover, he said he would not run for the state Legislature but would consider virtually any higher office.

“I’d run for anything,” he said, drawing smiles from his fellow city councilors. “Any of the other higher offices—governor, senator, executive council—all of those would be of interest to me.”

Ferrini has been on the Portsmouth City Council for eight years. He served as assistant mayor under Steve Marchand, who opted not to run for reelection in 2007 in order to mull his own U.S. Senate bid (he dropped out of the race to support Jeanne Shaheen). Ferrini was first elected mayor in 2007 and was reelected in 2009.

He said he is proud of the city’s double-A-plus bond rating and his work to keep tax increases to an average of 1.5 percent per year over the last four years. He also cited as accomplishments development of the Northern Tier, the resolution to renovate Portsmouth Middle School, and improvements to the city’s zoning ordinance.

But there’s still work to be done over the next four months. Ferrini said studying the issue of a new downtown parking garage will be one of his top priorities during the remainder of his tenure.
As for his future plans, Ferrini said he will keep his eye on the possibilities.

“I certainly am interested in higher political office,” he said. “Naturally, the time would have to be right for myself and my family. I will stay active in looking at those options over the years, and it’s certainly something I’m interested in, but I have no present plans to run.”

Gov. John Lynch has not yet announced whether he plans to run for reelection in 2012. Ferrini said his future decisions will not depend on whether other Democrats choose to run, but he would support Lynch’s reelection bid.

“If Gov. Lynch runs again, and personally I hope that he does, I will support him and help in any way I can,” he said.

If he does eventually pursue a higher office, Ferrini vowed to take the same bipartisan approach to governance that he has taken on the city council. He stressed the New Hampshire tradition of working together and mildly scolded the current state Legislature for not living up to that tradition.

“Presently, the state Legislature may not follow the model that we have seen in years past, and I think that may be unfortunate,” he said. “But, you know, the good citizens of New Hampshire figure out a way to even those things out.”

Ferrini’s decision will leave the position of mayor wide open in the November municipal election. Portsmouth has a somewhat unusual method for determining mayor—the city council candidate who garners the most votes is awarded the post.

Asked if she would aim for the title of mayor, Clayburgh said she was focused on simply winning a seat on the nine-member council.

“You never know where you’re going to end up in the pecking order,” she said.

Clayburgh praised Ferrini’s service as mayor and said she was saddened by his decision not to run for reelection.

“I’m really sad to see him leave. He’s just been wonderful,” she said.