PARIS — Candidates for selectmen discussed the philosophies and changes they would bring to the board at a forum Thursday.

Alicia Cushman, Sam Elliot, Jim Hakala, Gerald Kilgore and Robert Wessels answered questions ranging from their priorities for the town to how they wound interact with other board members.

About 30 residents attended the meeting, in addition to the organizers. Barbara Payne moderated.

Elliot and Hakala are running for former Selectman Kenneth West’s seat, while Cushman, Kilgore and Wessels are running for Jean Smart’s seat. West resigned in April and Smart isn’t running for re-election.

Cushman said she’s looking to change the tone of town politics and get more residents interested in the town’s business and coming to meetings.

“I’m not looking for the politics in this. I’m looking for the community in this,” she said. “I’d like to see our town become a community again.”

Elliot said business has taken him out of town recently but said he’s anxious to get back to the board. A former member of the school board and town committees, he said he’s willing to debate the issues with fellow selectmen.

“I hope we disagree. If no one disagrees, that means nobody’s thinking,” he said.

Hakala, who manages Hakala Transport, a contractor for the U.S. Postal Service, has been on three town boards and committees recently and has attended every selectmen’s meetings in recent years.

Hakala said he’d use his “five C’s” to guide him as a board member: culture of the board, common sense, creativity and vision, compromise and change.

Kilgore has served 15 years on the board, from 1994 to 2009. He said he wants to bring that experience back to the board.

“I just want to help out. I’m not a rowdy person,” he said.

Wessels said he’s long been interested in politics and saw the board as “a great opportunity to check out the political life.” He said he’s gone door-to-door talking to residents and he’s frequently told people are “embarrassed” by the Board of Selectmen.

He said he plans on using his corporate experience with Wal-Mart and US Cellular to help bring people together and broker compromise.

The candidates took turns answering more than a dozen questions. All said that roads were the biggest financial issue facing the town, and when asked to prioritize between roads, citizens or taxes, Hakala, Wessels and Cushman chose “citizens.” Kilgore and Elliot chose “taxes,” both arguing that high taxes harmed citizens.

They discussed how they would compromise on issues. Wessels said it was a matter of picking battles. He said he would be more willing to compromise on the issues less important to him.

Cushman said she’d like to see residents have more say, and that board members should compromise with residents as well as other board members. She said she’d like to see people find new ideas that can satisfy different parties when possible.

Elliot said compromise would happen before a vote. After discussing the issue, the selectmen need to vote one way or another.

Hakala said a lack of compromise is a major problem with the Board of Selectmen. “Compromise will be needed if this town is going to stay on a level,” he said.

Most of the forum was recorded by Norway-Paris Community Television and will be rebroadcast before the election.

The election will take place June 12, four days before the annual town meeting, at the Fire Station.

[email protected]