WATERFORD – Three residents are running for the selectman’s seat vacated in July by Whizzer Wheeler.

People will have the opportunity to meet them during a candidates night at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the town offices. The event is being hosted by the Take Back Our Waterford group, which called for Wheeler’s resignation.

The event allows residents to get to know the candidates better, said Paul Hersey, one of the coordinators of the night.

He said he wants to keep the questions general, recognizing that the candidates are inexperienced with local politics.

Hersey said he hopes the Wheeler issue won’t come up during the session, although all three candidates have said that the town’s government needs repair.

Douglas Bradley, 37, has lived in Waterford since he was 12. He said he can understand the community from a blue-collared worker’s point of view.

If elected, he hopes to make a difference.

“All we hear from our parents is that you can’t complain about something unless you step in and do something,” Bradley said.

It’s also a chance to try something new. It’s a short-term seat, so he said if he does not like being a selectmen he won’t have a long-term commitment to it.

Stuart Davis, 51, has lived in Waterford six years. If elected, he said he wants fairness in taxation across the board – no favors.

Waterford is a wealthy town, Davis said, and shouldn’t be run like a business.

“We’ve given the town a bad name,” Davis said. “When you’re a selectman, you need to look at things that will make the town happy as a majority.”

David Hart, 52, has lived in Waterford 19 years. He also wants to straighten out the town’s tax problem, and make sure every citizen is treated with dignity and respect.

“I just would like to try and serve the community in a good way,” Hart said. “I’m fair and honest, and I believe there’s two sides to every story.”

Hart is married to the town’s transfer station manager, Rockie Graham. In a statement he said he would abstain from any votes pertaining to her.

None of the candidate are members of Take Back Our Waterford.