OXFORD — Two selectmen are defending their seats against two challengers in the June 9 election. 

Selectman Peter Laverdiere, board Chairman Floyd Thayer, fire Chief Scott Hunter and Rescue Department EMT Joan Quinn are vying for two three-year terms.

Thayer is seeking his fourth consecutive term. He said he’s running because he enjoys working for the town’s best, week in and week out. Along with the other board members, Thayer said he’s tried to hold down taxes while slowly growing the size of the town’s government to promote Oxford as a pro-business community. 

During his tenure, Thayer said selectmen have worked to implement the will of people on issues such as the sewer system, infrastructure projects and spending casino revenue. The town, he said, is headed in the right direction. 

“(My saying is) ‘we did a good job today — would be better if we did a better job tomorrow.’ I think we’ve done a good job of getting done what the people wanted us to do,”  he said.

Laverdiere is seeking his second term after being elected in 2013. A longtime volunteer in town government, Laverdiere said he’s running to serve residents by keeping taxes, spending and debt down. 

He said his long-term goals include further reducing debt to put the town in solid fiscal standing. He said the sewer system will lower the cost to do business in town, in turn diversifying its tax base and providing quality jobs. 

“There’s got to be more jobs, greater pay and a better lifestyle for the people of Oxford. That’s our objective,” Laverdiere said. 

Both challengers outlined a platform that questioned whether the current crop of selectmen had a grasp on the town’s long-term future.

Hunter, a 37-year veteran of the Fire Department, served as deputy chief since 1988 and was elected acting chief six years ago. In addition to experience estimating budgets and learning building codes, Hunter said he’s running to bring accountability to municipal affairs, which he said lack effective communication. 

“I think there needs to be some changes made; it goes back to when I was a department head trying to get information. I can’t imagine being a taxpayer and trying to get it,” Hunter said. 

Hunter said town officials have not satisfactorily explained how casino money is spent, have failed to outline how the town will upgrade its infrastructure or replace aging firetrucks and police cruisers and have kept what they do know to themselves. 

“I don’t want to see my taxes go up more than the next guy: I thinks that’s where planning comes in,” he said.

A grandmother of 22 who has been employed with the Rescue Department for the past seven years, Joan Quinn offered an unabashed critique of the current state of affairs in town government as the impetus for her run: shaking up the “good ol’ boys club.”

Quinn said she’s unafraid to call things as she sees them, a trait that inspired others to encourage to her run. 

“I’m not looking for it to go all my way; I’m just looking for honesty,” Quinn said. 

She strongly remonstrated town officials for the way they treated Hunter, who is applying with other candidates for the fire chief’s position. She argued, as others have recently, that they are attempting to oust an outspoken, independent critic of town policies. 

Quinn said she wants to expand the police and fire departments to meet the town’s growth. While this is the first time she’s run for an elected position, she said she wants to find ways to foster resident participation in town affairs, suggesting selectmen meetings could be held on weekends or a free day care services could be offered during meetings so parents could participate. 

Voters will go to the polls June 9 at the Oxford Public Safety Building to cast their ballots of selectmen and other officers. 

[email protected]