Pegeen Mulhern, a Bainbridge attorney and a longtime community volunteer, will run for the at-large, District 1 council seat currently held by Councilman Steven Bonkowski.

An official announcement is planned for Thursday.

Mulhern, 59, is the first candidate to enter the race. Bonkowski said earlier this week he would not seek re-election.

A Vermont transplant who moved to Bainbridge in 1991, Mulhern previously worked as a maritime business lawyer in Seattle and from her island home. She was also an adjunct professor and reference librarian at University of Washington’s School of Law and, more, recently at Seattle University Law School.

“I have found that effecting change through public service can be extremely rewarding,” she said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “I respect process in my professional and volunteer work. Before making decisions, I gather information by listening and learning from others, as well as collaborating with colleagues, weighing options and then acting to make those decisions a reality.”

Mulhern has been a community volunteer for more than 30 years, in Vermont and Bainbridge.

She has two children who attended Bainbridge schools, and was a member of the Bainbridge Island School District’s Math Curriculum Committee and was also a long-standing member of the Advisory Committee for the Highly Capable Student programs.

Mulhern was a Girl Scout Troop leader for a decade and served on the Eagle Harbor Congregational Church Council and helped create the home for the Madrona School.

She has also stepped up in the past to serve the city. She was a citizen advisory member to the city’s Shoreline Management Committee.

Mulhern was not immediately available for comment late Wednesday. On her campaign website, Mulhern said the city needs to make “bold choices to protect, promote and preserve those things that make Bainbridge Island an incredibly livable community.”

She also vowed to pursue balanced, managed growth and cited the controversial Visconsi shopping center development on High School Road as evidence of a disconnect between the city’s growth plans and its zoning.

“I don’t want this to happen again,” she said on her campaign website. “I want to be a steward for, and am committed to advocating for a livable Bainbridge for generations to come.”