BETHEL – Seven people are seeking two 3-year seats on the Board of Selectmen this month.

No one filed papers to run for two empty SAD 44 board seats.

Three people – Larry Smith, a retired logger, and incumbents Stanley Howe and David Luxton – are also running for two 3-year Board of Assessor seats.

Candidates for selectmen are incumbent Don Bennett, Dennis Doyon, Howe, Waltraud “Walley” Hannigan, Robert Everett, Darren Tripp, and Smith.

Bennett, 58, has lived in Bethel for 38 years and owned and operated Bennett’s Lumbering for 35 years.

Born in Newry, Bennett said he’s seeking a third straight term to fulfill a desire to help people achieve town goals.

He said, “There are many things you see and hear about the village that people want, so being a selectmen makes it a gratifying experience, even though sometimes, it is a trying one.”

Bennett, who also chairs the Beach Committee, wants to see his dream – the Angevine Park Project, Bethel’s only town-owned swimming pond – fulfilled.

Doyon, 45, retired from the Planning Board in December after 13 years. He has also served three years on the Board of Appeals and has been involved with several committees tasked with developing town ordinances and the airport’s master plan.

A 25-year resident of Bethel, Doyon sees his bid for a selectman seat as an opportunity to “do something more for the town, because the town, for myself and my family, has been a great place to live.”

“I want to help guide the town in the way that the town should be running itself. I think new blood is a good thing on a board after awhile, and it’s a good thing to bring in new ideas,” he added.

Howe, 60, is the oldest and most experienced candidate seeking a selectmen seat.

For nearly 30 years, the Lewiston native, author and American history professor has served the town in one way or another as a public servant.

Now an assessor and 11-year member of the Planning Board – from which he intends to retire this year – Howe also served as a selectman/assessor from 1975 to 1983, and as a SAD 44 director from 1983 to 1990.

“My background is a little different than most, but diversity is the name of the game. I’ve seen almost 30 years on some board or another, so I’m no stranger to public responsibility. And, perhaps, that may be useful to some people,” he said.

He wants another go at being a selectman to facilitate better communication between selectmen and assessors.

“When I was on the Board of Selectmen before, we were both selectmen and assessors. Now, it’s time for someone to serve in both roles again to avoid miscommunication and problems,” Howe said.

Hannigan, 47, is also a Planning Board member, albeit in her first 3-year term. She is also a member of the sign and ordinance committees.

She’s seeking a selectman’s seat to help channel the town’s growth needs.

“I’ve learned a lot from being on the Planning Board, and I think that the way the town’s growing, it could use changes, and I’d like to be a part of those changes,” she said.

“I have no agenda and no personal gain, politically or whatever. I’m just like the majority of people in this town, a taxpayer.”

Everett, 56, a recent widower, is a SAD 44 director and assessor. He served one three-year term as a selectman before losing his seat to newcomer Jack Cross two years ago.

Now, driven by a desire for community involvement, he’s hoping to get back in.

“Everyone who pays taxes in town needs to, perhaps, do something for the community and get involved. I want to see if I can make a difference,” he said.

Tripp and Smith were not available to be interviewed, despite several attempts.

Board of Assessor candidates

Assessor incumbents Howe and Luxton are seeking re-election to resolve unfinished business involving a time-share taxation project and to jump start a much-needed revaluation.

“A lot of us believe it’s important to make taxes fairer in Bethel. Right now, the residential component, which represents two-thirds of town value, hasn’t been appraised since 1988,” Howe said.

Luxton, 54, has turned his hobby of breeding and raising Labrador retrievers into a full-time job.

He said he is seeking re-election, because “this time-share thing isn’t totally finished, and a re-evaluation has to be done, so I want to finish some of the things we’ve been working on. It’s not for the money, which is $100 a year.”

Municipal elections are to be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Crescent Park School.

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