HARRISON — Four people are vying for two seats on the Board of Selectmen in Tuesday’s town elections. Both terms are for three years.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Bill Winslow is seeking a third term. He previously served on the Planning Board.

The three other candidates are:

* Imelda Arris, who works for In-Home Senior Services and volunteer for Regional Transportation for 15 years.

* Richard Maynard, a retired Defense Department employee and former small business owner.

* Archille “Archie” Belanger, who is employed with Home Depot after working at the town Transfer Station for more than 16 years.

Voters will choose two of the four.

Selectman Richard Sykes is not seeking re-election.

This is Arris’ first time running for elected office.

“I am just doing it to get into it and see what I’ve been missing,” she said. “Right now, the selectmen seem to not do very much. The town manager seems to do it all.  . . . I think we need to get back to having the selectmen tell him what he’s going to do.”

Maynard is a member of the Budget Committee and volunteers with the Harrison Lions Club, Harrison Historical Society and Oxford Hills SCORE.

“Small towns need their residents to help with the heavy lifting and my wife and I love Harrison and want to help build on the effective government that we’ve encountered here,” he said. Some members of the community encouraged him to run, he said.

Belanger is a member of the newly formed Agricultural Committee and is looking for ways to grow produce to provide local food in emergencies and for those in need.

Winslow said, “I don’t mind doing it and somebody’s gotta do and people just don’t seem to want to step up.”

The candidates were asked about major issues in the town.

“The biggest issue facing the town is what can we do to make Harrison’s share of the school cost more equitable,” Winslow said.

Arris wants to look out for the growing senior citizen population. She believes once people hit their late 70s and early 80s, they should be given a break on their taxes.

“Right now they don’t get any reprieve at all. I think their taxes should be frozen at that age,” she said.

Maynard agrees with Winslow that education is the biggest issue facing the town, since most of the taxes in Harrison go toward School Administrative District 17.

“Our best, immediate approach to the shortcomings of the schools is to be in touch (with) each of the young people in town to understand what they need and whether they are leaving high school with opportunities for vocational careers or success in attending post secondary institutions for further education,” he said.

Belanger wants a town charter “that would give power back to the taxpayer, enabling them to recall an appointed or elected official, based on our government’s system of checks and balances.”

He also wants to keep Harrison’s small-town charm and champions reviving and reinstating the Comprehensive Plan.

If they could put money back in the budget, Winslow and Maynard said they would invest it in roads. Maynard said there are roughly 70 miles of roads, and about two miles are fixed each year.

“While all the roads do not need the same level of repairs, the town is not doing enough to keep its roads in good repair,” he said. “Though I would like to better understand how much we need to do each year, an increase to four to five miles a year is a reasonable, initial objective.”

Arris would put the money into the Transfer Station.

“(It) probably needs more money now to run on because of the fact that they’ve added new scales and new fencing and everything like that,” she said.

She would also like any purchase that’s more than $1,000 brought before voters.

Voters will make their decisions at the polls, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the Town Office, 20 Front St.

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