HARTFORD — Four people are running for road commissioner next week in a town where deteriorating roads is an issue. The term is for two years.

Candidates are former selectman and Code Enforcement Officer John Plumley, former Selectman David Bowen and Alan McNeil and Harley Swanson.

Plumley is retired. He worked at Boston Sand and Gravel for seven years and attended the state’s Road Scholar Program for five years.

Bowen runs his own contracting business.

“The other fellows that are running, two of them are contractors and one of them is a grader operator. . . . I don’t have any personal issues with anybody,” Plumley said. “I don’t have any equipment or anything like that so there’s no conflict of interest or self-serving.”

Plumley serves on the Planning Board and Road Committee.

Bowen said he knew equipment would be a talking point in the election.

“I know there’s been rumors around town (that) the only reason I want to do it is because I have equipment,” he said. “(But) I have plenty of work. I am not looking for a full-time job,” he said.

“The other people I don’t feel are as qualified,” Bowen said.

Plumley and Bowen said they would make sure all of the road projects are put out to bid because Hartford only owns a grader, which recently became inoperable.

Plumley and Bowen said if elected, they would check on the road projects to ensure they’re being done properly and according to bid specifications.

As road commissioner, Bowen said he would look to pave roughly 0.3 miles of Gurney Hill Road up to the salt shed. He thinks Church Street should be fixed.

“That’s one of our better roads and one of the most traveled roads in town,” he said. “I know people are going to say because I live off Church Street that’s why I am doing it, but that’s not the case.”

Bowen said he favors fixing roads according to where the tax base is located in town. He also wants road projects to go to bid this year.

“Price of oil is going down, which is going to bring the cost of paving down,” he said. “I think we will get the most bang for our buck if we put it out this year.”

Plumley said he’d rather not identify which roads he’d tackle first because so many in town need work. He promised to work along side the Road Committee, which is crafting one- and five-year plans for roads.

“We need not to just work on one road, but we (need to be) able to work on two or three roads (a year) in order to catch up because a road does not last more than seven of eight years and then you have to resurface,” Plumley said.

He also wanted to examine methods of maintaining and fixing roads.

“(There’s) all new types of surfacing out there that is cheaper than what we have been using and the state is experimenting with it,” he said.

Swanson and McNeil could not be reached for comment.

Voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the Town Office, 1196 Main St.

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