POLAND — A municipal election will be held Friday, April 1, to choose one selectman, two school board members, two Budget Committee members and three library trustees.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the Poland Town Hall. Town meeting will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday at Poland Regional High School.

Board of Selectmen

Three people are running for one seat on the Board of Selectmen to replace Peter Bolduc Jr., who chose not to run for re-election. The term is for three years.

Norman E. Davis has been on the School Committee for the past 12 years and is currently on Poland’s Economic Development Committee. He is a graduate of Edward Little High School and studied at the University of Maine and Clemson University. He has been associated with the Morin Brick Co. of Danville for the past 49 years, several of them as owner. He and his wife, Paula, have four grown children.

“We need to expand the tax base,” Davis said. “I’d like to see some light manufacturing move in. It would make a contribution to the community without putting a lot of demand on the schools. I would encourage the senior housing effort. Seniors are important in the community as role models for our young people, and they don’t demand a whole lot in services.”

Arthur C. Dunlap, Poland’s code enforcement officer for 11 years, is semi-retired, working part time as code enforcement officer for Wales. A graduate of Edward Little High School, he has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maine.

Dunlap and his wife, Sandra, have lived in Poland since 1983. A life member of the Poland Spring Preservation Society and past president of the Poland Historical Society, he also chaired the Cable Committee and for the past 15 years has been broadcasting meetings on the local access TV channel. For the past two years, he served on the Budget Committee.

“I have been urged to run for selectman by many residents of Poland,” Dunlap said. “We are all looking to make our governmental affairs more open and transparent, and to make sure stress, errors and double standards are reduced, if not eliminated.”

Stephen C. Robinson has served on the Budget Committee the past six years and sometime before that, he served three years on the Board of Selectmen.

A graduate of Oxford Hills High School, Robinson continued his education at Central Maine Vocational and Technical Institute and New Hampshire College. He has an associate degree in electrical mechanical technology and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. For the past 23 years he has worked at National Semiconductor in South Portland and is presently production control manager.

Robinson and his wife, Louise, a nurse at Poland Community School, have two grown children.

“Because my children are grown and out of the house, my time to perform selectperson duties is available,” Robinson said. “I believe that the next few years are again going to be key to the successful development and growth of Poland and will provide leadership, innovation and common sense to issues that allow the town to grow responsibly.”

School board

Four people are running for two open seats on the Regional School Unit 16 Board of Directors. The terms are for three years.

Joseph L. Parent was a member of the Mechanic Falls School Committee from 1997 to 2000 and served on the Middle School Exploration Committee. He is a graduate of Winthrop High School and the University of Southern Maine, with a bachelor’s degree in English. He has worked for Delhaize America, parent company of Hannaford, for 23 years and is currently manager for learning and development.

Parent and his wife, Debra, have three children, a third-grader, an eighth-grader and the oldest is out of school.

“My hope is to continue to build community and strong support for the education of our students. Commitment to learning and commitment to our kids are vital to the success of our future,” Parent said.

Edward Rabasco Jr. has served as town meeting moderator the past few years. A graduate of Boston College and the University of Maine School of Law, he has practiced law in Lewiston for 23 years. He also served on the Lewiston Planning Board for five years before moving to Poland 13 years ago. He is divorced with a daughter in college and a son who is a freshman at Poland Regional High School.

“We have spent time on cutting the budget — $3 million in the past three years — but not much time in determining what is the greater plan and focus for providing a high-quality education for our students. We need to have a long-term strategic plan for RSU 16,” Rabasco said.

George E. Sanborn is chairman of the Poland Republican Party and has worked on a number of local issues. A graduate of Windham High School, he has worked as a self-employed excavation contractor for 24 years. He and his wife, Wendy, have four children. Their eldest is a college freshman, with the other three in the sixth, ninth and 11th grades.

“I would really like to address the issue of merit versus the tenure system,” Sanborn said. “I would like to find out why our student test scores are lagging and what we can do to improve them. I would like to see the perception of the high school as one of the best in the area.”

Ervin A. Walker III has worked at Poland Spring Bottling Co. for the past 13 years. Before that, he worked for S.D. Warren in Westbrook. He graduated from Windham High School and has taken courses at Southern Maine Community College in automotive technology.

He and his wife, Nancy, have three children in the fourth, fifth and seventh grades. A Salvation Army volunteer, he is the contact person for Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland.

Uncontested races

While there are no contested seats on the Ricker Library Board of Trustees, incumbents Nancy Norton and Catherine Tetenman are seeking three-year terms. Sara Willett is on the ballot for a two-year term.

No names will appear on the ballot for two openings on the Budget Committee; however, Timothy Paul Curran has announced he would run as a write-in.