OXFORD — The only contested race in the June 14 election is for the Board of Selectmen, with Roger Jackson defending his seat against Richard Varney.

The two men have differing views on how the town should proceed now that the casino has been approved.

Jackson, who supported the casino, said Tuesday he thinks the town is moving in the right direction.

He said he remembers when Oxford had far more manufacturing jobs, but he doesn’t foresee them coming back anytime soon. “The high-paying union jobs are south of New Hampshire and I’m sure they’re probably going to stay there.”

The casino, Jackson said, will bring a variety of jobs to the town. He said it’s important to note that the casino is a resort. “The casino is the engine that is going to drive that resort.”

“This project is not only going to create employment, but it’s also going to improve our tax base, allowing us the opportunity to expand our infrastructure,” Jackson said.

Varney doesn’t agree. “It’s going to completely change this town,” and not for the better, he said. Varney said he spent several winters in South Carolina where a casino collapsed. “It looked like a ghost town. I can see what would happen to this place.”

Jackson and Varney both believe the town’s water and sewage systems need upgrading. However, Varney said he is concerned a planned extension of the sewer line down Route 26 gives the casino first priority over many residents. “I want to make sure that all the residents get a fair break.”

He said when he was on the Board of Selectmen, the town completed a study on expanding water and sewer to the whole town and found it was feasible. But, he said, “There should be a master plan, and that should be fitted in,” he said.

For the future, Jackson said he foresees new businesses sprouting up along the Route 26 corridor, including fast food chains, clothing stores and others to take advantage of more tourism.

Varney is less optimistic. People in Oxford should “brace themselves,” he said Tuesday. He said if the casino collapses, money spent on loans for the sewer system and adding to the police force could put the town in debt.

Jackson is a Vietnam veteran who served 22 active years in the U.S. Army. He received degrees from the University of Maryland and Columbus College in Ohio. After his Army service, Jackson was a U.S. Postal Service carrier in Buckfield. There, he was elected to the board Rural Letter Carriers’ union and served five consecutive terms as president.

In 2000, around the time he retired from the Postal Service, he began making maple syrup and growing vegetables on his farm. “I became an agricultural entrepreneur, so to speak,” Jackson said.

In 2007, he finished the last year of his brother Caldwell Jackson’s term as selectman after Caldwell was elected to the Oxford County Commission. The next year, Roger Jackson was re-elected.

Varney has served part of a term on the board. He served in the U.S. Army, and said between active duty and time in the reserves he served 32 years. For more than 40 years, he and his brother worked in construction, road repairs and other business as Varney Bros. Varney said he’s worked on most of the roads in Oxford.

He received degrees in business administration and accounting at the former Bliss College in Lewiston.

The municipal election is set for June 14.

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