NEW GLOUCESTER – Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial School to elect a selectman to fill the unexpired term of A. Wayne Cobb, who died recently. Linda Chase and Christopher Rheault are vying to serve the remaining 18 months of his term.

Linda Chase

A lifelong resident of New Gloucester, Chase believes the limited term provides the right balance to give her an opportunity to serve the town.

She advocates for more financial responsibility to follow rules. For example, OSHA regulations for wash bays for the town’s highway department could require adding an extra bay dedicated to washing trucks.

Chase says fiscally sound practices need to balance the effects of future services. “Whether we like it or not, we have to balance to keep the community sound and keep that home-town felling alive as growth continues.”

She also wants to keep costs down for the elderly. “I don’t want the elderly to be forgotten and forced to leave the community.”

Chase, 45, is a widow with two teenage sons. For 22 years she has worked as a medical lab technician at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston.

She also has been a volunteer, serving in recent years on the New Gloucester Recreation Commission and the Fairgrounds Committee. She has participated in Project Team for SAD 15, which links the community to seasonal sports and use of facilities for the school district.

Christopher Rheault

Rheault is vying for the third time in recent years to fill a vacant selectman term.

“I really believe strongly in community service and being active,” he said.

After his defeat last May, he applied for a slot on the Planning Board and was instead appointed to the Land Use Management Committee, which he says is a good way to plan the future of the town. He also participated in the town’s Business and Economic Development study last year.

“Everything, whether good or bad, comes down to growth. Trying to be proactive and how we respond to economic growth and population impacts the kinds of services the town provides.”

Rheault, 30, is an unemployed teacher. He has lived in New Gloucester for four and a half years and participates in volunteer organizations.

He has a master’s degree from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and completed the graduate teacher’s certification program at the University of New England.