NEW GLOUCESTER — Selectmen agreed Monday night to have Town Manager Carrie Castonguay and board Chairman Steve Libby meet with the Candidates/Referendum Issues Committee to clarify its purpose and guidelines.

Selectmen created the five-member panel last December after the Cable Committee stopped holding candidate forums.

“We are a new committee and guidance wasn’t offered to us,” Chairwoman  Joanne Cole said. “We didn’t know we had a liaison member from the board.”

The forum in May for three candidates for two selectmen positions drew only one of them: Selectman Stephen Hathorne. Board Chairwoman Linda Chase canceled at the last minute and newcomer Karen Gilles was sick.

Committee member Penny Hilton noted Libby is chairman of the re-election campaign for state Rep. Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester.

Hilton said she’s an officer in the New Gloucester Democratic Party and would consider stepping down to assure there is no political bias in the forums.

Cole suggested an unbiased town employee serve as the liaison for the group, but selectmen took no action other than to vote that the liaison will not have voting privileges on the committee.

Other members of the committee are Patti Mikkelsen and Debra Smith. Anne Maurice submitted her name to take the fifth spot.

In other matters, the board:

• Awarded a paving contract to P and B Paving of Gray for $66.50 per ton. The company will pave Long Bennett Road, Mayall Road from the Maine Turnpike to the old Route 26, Upper Village Street and Gilmore Road.

• Voted to continue negotiations with three bidders for a cab/chassis in order to clarify warranty and tires.

• Chose colors for the new $4.6 million town garage at 611 Lewiston Road: ash gray with rustic red trim and white doors.

• Awarded a sand and gravel contract to Emerson Excavating of Windham for $6 per yard of sub-base, $6 per yard for base, $10 per yard for Maine Department of Transportation surface coat and $5 per yard for winter sand.

• Awarded a contract to Pike Industries of Westbrook for standard surface coat for $8.67 per yard.

• Awarded a contract, not to exceed $141,000, to Fire Tech and Safety of Winthrop for 21 masks, 25 self-contained breathing apparatus and 42 bottles for compressed air, with upgrades that include training and flow testing.