PERU — Residents will choose among three people running for two Board of Selectmen seats.
The election will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at the Town Office.
Carol Roach, Raquel Welch and Ed Ferland are seeking election to a one-year or a two-year term.
The one-year term is to fill the seat of Lee Merrill, who was required to resign in November 2015 after he was elected road commissioner.
The two-year term is to fill the seat of Jim Pulsifer, who is not seeking re-election.
Ferland served on the Board of Selectmen in 2011 and 2012 but was removed from office by a recall vote in early 2013, along with Dickie Powell, Tim Holland and Kathy Hussey.
He said he preferred not to answer any questions, and “at this point, everybody knows who I am and what I’m running for.”
Welch said she has been a resident of Peru for 17 years, and has been employed by Regional School Unit 10 for the past 15 years. She was nominated as Oxford County Teacher of the Year in 2015.
“I am a hard worker and am not afraid to roll up my sleeves and tackle a difficult task,” Welch said. “I am in the process of raising three children, and hope that I am instilling in them the same values that I was taught. I like to lead by example, and want them to understand that a person needs to give back to their community.”
Welch said she believes she can “bring knowledge and skills to the board through my education and my past experiences.”
“I have a business degree, in addition to a degree in education, and both of these will be useful in managing the town, as well as communicating with the residents,” Welch said.
“I am running with no agenda and no preconceived notions regarding any town business,” she said. “I am open to all information from both sides of any situation, and want to represent every resident of Peru to the best of my ability.”
Roach said she believes she can “bring relevant knowledge, skills and abilities to the Peru Board of Selectmen.” She cited her 21 years of working for the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, where her duties included setting policy and developing administrative procedures, addressing budget issues, and responding to inquiries and complaints addressed to the governor.
She said she started as a clerk typist and worked her way up to division director.
Roach said she also worked as a business agent for the Maine State Employees Association, where she was responsible for investigating complaints and pay range discrepancies and advocating for state workers on committees, boards, discussion panels, at the Legislature, and at public informational meetings, “all requiring strong communication skills.”
Roach has volunteered at the Servants’ Heart Food Pantry, has been involved with the Rumford American Legion Auxiliary, joined the Snowshoe Club, served as a ballot clerk and was recently appointed to the Finance Committee.
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