MIDDLETOWN — November’s election will usher in changes to the Town Council leadership, with current Town Council president Paul M. Rodrigues and vice president Shirley R. Mello both choosing not to run for reelection.

Their exit from local politics — and fellow Democratic Councilman Louis P. DiPalma’s decision to vie for the state Senate — means that at least three of the seven council seats will be filled by newcomers.

There are plenty of candidates already lined up for the Nov. 4 local ballot.

The Democratic Town Committee is fielding a Town Council candidate slate of relative newcomers: Frank Arakel Bozyan, a retired radio astronomer who serves on the Board of Tax Assessment Review; Richard P. Cambra, a Raytheon engineer and member of the town’s Economic Advisory Committee and an alternate on the Zoning Board of Review; Christopher T. Semonelli, an entrepreneur who owns the Sears store on Aquidneck Avenue; and Elrony Williams, who works in the defense industry and is a former Middletown School Committee member.

Mello, now in her second term on the council, said yesterday, “It’s just not the right time for me.”

She said she needs to focus on her job as a Realtor and on some personal matters. She also said that she’s sick of the “nonsense” on the Town Council, which has publicly squabbled in recent months over the continuing controversy of former Town Administrator Gerald S. Kempen’s departure.

“If it weren’t for the nonsense, I might have considered running again. It’s not fun anymore. We’re all volunteers. It doesn’t make sense; it should be more fun than this,” she said.

Rodrigues, who’s now in his fourth term, did not return calls from The Journal yesterday.

“I think that it is very difficult to be a serving legislator for any length of time, and it does tend to wear you down,” said David Lavine, chairman of the local Democratic committee. “I think they had come, individually and collectively, to the decision that it wasn’t enjoyable. They did a really good job of serving Middletown. Middletown owes them a real debt of gratitude and now we’re going to put forward four excellent candidates who have no antagonisms and no fights with anybody and want to serve the town.”

Democratic incumbent Edward J. Silveira Jr. is seeking his third term on the council, although he is not an endorsed candidate. Incumbent Robert J. Sylvia could not be reached for comment yesterday on his intentions.

Meanwhile, the Republican Town Committee has endorsed incumbents M. Theresa Santos and Barbara A. Barrow, who are seeking their fifth and third terms, respectively, on the council. The committee also endorsed newcomer Cheryl Foster, a retired state social worker and a former Sister of Mercy, and Antone C. Viveiros, chairman of the Concerned Island Taxpayers Association.

“I think we’re going to do well,” said Saverio De Ruggiero, chairman of the local Republican committee. “I think we’re going to bring some semblance of order to this organization.”

Running as independents for the Town Council are Barbara A. VonVillas, former Burrillville schools superintendent and chairwoman of the Middletown Charter Review Commission, and Eileen Spillane, a retired public school teacher and librarian turned-local blogger, who ran unsuccessfully in the last two elections against Republican Sen. June N. Gibbs.

School Committee incumbents William R. Coogan and Edward K. “Ned” Draper, whose seats on the five-member board are up this year, are not running for reelection. The seats carry four-year terms.

Candidates have until tomorrow at 4 p.m. to file declaration papers at Town Hall.

mwims@projo.com