POLAND – Voters in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland will elect representatives to the newly formed Regional School Unit 16 Board of Directors on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Each town will elect five people to serve on the 15-member board that will govern the new consolidated school system.

Candidates on the ballot in Mechanic Falls include Carlton Beckett, Katie Bryant, Dave Griffiths, Melissa Hodgkin and Jacques Wiseman.

Candidates on Minot’s ballot include Steve Holbrook, Tina Kelly, Yvette Murray and Chris Woodford. Annette Hemond Annance recently announced that she would like to serve on the board and is running as a write-in candidate.

Candidates on Poland’s ballot include Norman E. Davis, Mary Ella Jones, Jeanne Manley, Scott K. Sawyer and Martha E. Stone.

With the exception of Beckett, Annance and Manley, all the candidates are serving on their town’s school committee and their experience and knowledge are expected to facilitate a smooth transition into the new unified school system.

Polls in all three towns will be open on Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available at all three town offices and people may vote absentee up until the time polls open.

The new board will be sworn in within 10 days of the election and immediately assume transitional duties to establish a budget for the district’s fiscal year, which begins July 1.