Bremen Celebrates Retirement of Longtime Select Board Member

Community members gathered to celebrate the decades of public service of longtime Bremen Select Board Chair Wendy Pieh during a retirement party held Sunday, June 28.

Pieh has been serving on the board since 2004 and was elected chair in 2005. This year she will be retiring after dedicating her adulthood to community and leadership.

At the party, Pieh acknowledged her years of leadership and noted the support the town has given her allowed her to accomplish her goals and create a sense of community throughout Bremen.

“People, when we work together and we listen to each other, we can do almost anything,” Pieh said. “That’s what I felt like in Bremen.”

Select board member John “Boe” Marsh opened the celebration by thanking those in attendance and reflecting on Pieh’s years of service.

“I’ve served with Wendy since 2012,” Marsh said. “We’re all here to say how lucky we are to have lived in a town with Wendy as chair of the select board.”

Multiple members of the community spoke on behalf of Pieh, referring to her as a thoughtful leader who encouraged collaboration and treated residents with respect.

Select board member Tom Papell, who was elected in 2025, said working alongside Pieh over the past year has taught him the importance of listening to others and considering every perspective before making decisions.

Bremen Town Clerk Melanie Pendleton, who coordinated the event with help from Papell and Deputy Town Clerk Cheryl Ferrara, said it was an honor to be able to help set this up for Pieh.

“Wendy is a part of my family and always will be,” Pendleton said.

Wendy Pieh’s oldest brother Jerry Pieh also spoke and encouraged residents to continue her legacy of building community through kindness and service.

“If we could do that in Wendy’s honor,” he said. “This town will not lose its magic.”

Wendy Goth, a Bremen resident and Wendy Pieh’s sister-in-law, praised Pieh’s role in welcoming newcomers to Bremen and her work securing resources for the town. Matthew Hanly, who represents Bremen on the RSU 48 Board of Directors, spoke about Pieh’s longstanding support of local public schools and described her as a role model for public service.

Henry “Hank” Nevins, who originally retired from the select board in 2021, also reflected on his experience of working beside Pieh, crediting her calm leadership during major town decisions and community discussions. Nevins was elected in June and will rejoin the select board following Pieh’s departure.

Pieh started her career as a Maine politician in 1996 after deciding to run to represent House District 56, which at the time was comprised of Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Monhegan, and South Bristol. Her husband, Peter Goth, recounted Pieh’s first campaign for state representative and shared memories that brought laughter from the guests.

Goth recalled there was initially doubt Pieh could unseat the incumbent in a district that had long favored Republicans. Despite the odds, he said the couple embraced the campaign not to become politicians but to serve their community.

Goth shared a lighthearted story from a Fourth of July parade during the campaign, when his wife rode a spirited horse that had never participated in a parade before. While he worried the nervous horse would cause chaos, the crowd saw only a confident candidate riding through the celebration that then went on to earn their respect and support.

“When the parade was over, Wendy let the horse run across a nearby field,” Goth said. “People were watching and saying, ‘I’m voting for her.’ That’s where it all started.”

There was food, cake, and plenty of stories going around acknowledging Pieh’s long and successful career.

At the end of the event, Pieh said she will enjoy the ample time to relax that retirement will bring her.

“It’s been really a gift to me to be able to be a selectman for a group of people like this,” Pieh said.