PARIS — Two selectmen running unopposed for openings on the Board of Selectmen both identified the town budget as one of the more important issues they will look at.

Ted Kurtz, 74, and Ken West, 63, are running for a three-year term on the board. Kurtz was chosen at a special election in March to fill the remaining term of former Chairman David Ivey, who was recalled from office in February. West, who served one year on the board after his election in 2005, unsuccessfully ran in the same special election to fill another vacancy.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the fire station.

“The most important issues are No. 1, controlling spending and No. 2, sharing with the public all the information we have available to us on which we make our decisions,” Kurtz said.

“We’ve got the money, but we’ve got to watch how we spend it wisely and get the best product for the dollar we have to spend,” West said.

Kurtz said the town will have to make difficult choices to keep a budget flat-funded and prevent an increase in taxes. He said adequate daytime coverage by the Fire Department is also a pressing issue, but that he would be reluctant to use capital assets to fund per diem firefighter positions.

“I believe the first thing that should happen is we should look at the fire department budget and see where we can get $64,000 to hire two firefighters for one year,” he said. “There might be other sources of money available, but the first place I would look is the fire department budget.”

West said he feels the public safety departments in town have been responsible with their budgets.

“I am always for the safety of the citizens of the town of Paris and anywhere, so for services like the police and fire department, I probably would not cut that,” he said.

Kurtz works as an attorney. He graduated from law school in 1963, served in the Navy for three years, and has three children.

West worked at Maine Machine Products Co. for 22 years, resigning after his 2005 election due to an increase in his hours there. After retiring from the company, he began doing accounting work for his wife’s income tax service. He is a former member of the Army Reserve, and currently belongs to the American Legion and Knights of Columbus. He has three children and four grandchildren.

Tuesday’s races also include Mike Dignan and George “Buddy” Coffren Jr. running unopposed for three-year and one-year terms, respectively, on the Board of Directors for the Oxford Hills School District. Janet Jamison and Raymond Lussier are competing for a three-year term on the Paris Utility District Board of Trustees.

Voters will also decide whether to accept amendments to the recall and subdivision ordinances. The subdivision amendments were recommended by a working group of residents and town officials to ensure that a document petitioned to the town and accepted at referendum vote is compliant with state law and does not overlap other town ordinances. The recall amendments would increase the number of signatures necessary to start recall proceedings against an official from 211 to about 360 and clarify the procedure for scheduling a recall election.

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