PARIS — Three people have submitted their names for consideration in an upcoming election to fill two vacancies on the Board of Selectmen.

Jean A. Smart and Ken A. West are running for the remainder of a term expiring June 30, 2012. Ted Kurtz, an attorney with a law office in Market Square, is running unopposed to fill the remainder of a term that ends June 30 this year.

Interim Town Clerk Elizabeth Knox said a question-and-answer forum with the candidates will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the fire station, one hour before the start of a selectmen’s meeting. The forum is not sponsored by the town.

The election will be held March 9, and absentee ballots were made available Monday.

The two seats were vacated after several months of controversy that began when the board voted 3-2 to terminate former Town Manager Sharon Jackson’s contract, which had been approved to run until June 2014.

A recall ordinance drafted by the town’s policy and procedures committee passed at November’s referendum vote, and in the ensuing weeks the town received petitions seeking the recall of Chairman David Ivey, Vice Chairman Troy Ripley and Selectmen Raymond Glover and Lloyd “Skip” Herrick.

Ivey, whose term was scheduled to end June 30, was ousted in a 651-69 vote this month. Ripley, who was elected last year to a three-year term, was also recalled in a 682-102 decision despite resigning before the vote. Glover and Herrick, the two dissenters in the vote to end Jackson’s contract, remained on the board with votes of 578-155 and 600-116, respectively, against their recall.

Smart was born in Rumford and has lived in Paris since 1976, when she began a career as a teacher. She retired last year after 31 years at Oxford Hills Middle School and Oxford Hills High School, and currently serves on the Planning Board. Smart also received a certificate in mediation last fall from the University of Southern Maine and has sung in the choir at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland since 1994.

“I’m hoping to sort of help get the town back on course, and to see what we can do to reconcile some of the differences we have here,” she said.

Smart said she would encourage cooperation between board members. She also said she wanted to determine how the town’s money had been spent over the past several months, since she felt residents had been denied information on legal fees and other matters.

West was elected to the board in 2005, but resigned after one year because he had to spend more time at his job. He went to school in the Oxford Hills region and retired from Maine Machine Products Co. after 22 years there. He currently works full time with his wife at her income tax service. West was also in the Army reserve as a combat medic for 25 years and is a member of the American Legion and Knights of Columbus.

West said he would like to work with other towns in the area and try to bring more businesses to the area. He also said he would encourage the board to be open to all ideas and opinions from residents.

“I know you can’t please everybody, but to listen to all sides,” he said. “If you have 100 people in the room you’re going to have 100 different opinions.”

Attempts to reach Kurtz were unsuccessful Monday.

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