MADISON — Voters will consider four candidates for two open seats on the board of selectmen and will settle other contested races Tuesday in the annual town elections.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the municipal building and fire station on Weston Avenue. The business portion of the annual town meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Madison Junior High School auditorium.

There are four candidates in the race for two seats on the board of selectmen. The terms are for three years each.

Other contested elections include the board of directors for School Administrative District 59, board of assessors and board of Madison Electric Works.

There are three candidates running for two open seats on the school board, three candidates for one seat on the board of assessors and three candidates for one seat on Madison Electric Works.

BOARD OF SELECTMEN

• John Ducharme III, 55, is a branch manager at Skowhegan Savings Bank and served as its vice chairman for the last three years.

As a selectman, he says he has made transparency and communication with the public a priority.

“When I ran in 2011, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of communication as to what was going on in town,” said Ducharme.

In the last three years, he said the town has increased electronic communication and has instituted a policy of having an annual report of TIF money for town residents to see at town meeting. He helped establish a business grant program, that has generated between $150,000 and $160,000 in renovations and investments in local businesses, said Ducharme.

If re-elected, Ducharme said he would like to better manage town-owned properties and work more closely with the local school board.

Michael Edgerly, 40, is a manager at RTD Roofing and is a volunteer baseball, football and softball coach in the town recreation leagues. He is also the softball coach at Madison Junior High School.

“I’ve always been in this town and I want to do what I can to serve the community,” he said. “I’m one of those people that like to be involved and do what I can to make a difference.”

Edgerly served three years on the school board from 2010-2013 and says he has an interest in being a part of town government again.

• Brandon Hagopian, 35, is a teacher at Central High School and Middle School in Corinth. “I’ve lived in town my entire life and I want to start helping out in making town decisions,” said Hagopian, who holds a master’s degree in administration from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. “I plan on living here for a while.”

If elected, he said that making Madison more business-friendly would be a top priority.

“There’s a lot of empty buildings downtown. I think we could find more grant money to help us improve the way our downtown looks,” said Hagopian.

He is the son of Robert Hagopian, who formerly served as the chairman of the board of selectmen and is currently on the school board.

• Wayne Wallace, 54, is a dietary manager at Lakewood Continuing Care Center in Waterville.

“I have the time and interest to be a part of the board,” said Wallace. “I think the town has always worked very well and I want to help keep that going.”

He currently serves on the town advisory board and is a former member of the board of selectmen.

Wallace said he understands the importance of doing more with less.

SAD 59 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Kenneth Curtis, 65, is self-employed and owns Curtis Construction Inc.

“Our school district used to be one of the best systems in the state. We’ve fallen way behind and I feel it’s time to start rebuilding,” said Curtis, who formerly served 13 years on the board. “You can’t do that if you don’t get involved.”

He said the new community advisory board that was used to help develop a school budget this year worked very well, and that if elected he would like to continue seeking community input.

He feels the district could improve it’s student-teacher ratio and said he would continue to work on keeping taxes and education cuts down.

• Troy Emery, 42, currently serves as the chair of the board and has been a member for the past nine years. He said he enjoys being a member of the board because it is very democratic and the current members all have the best interest of the students in mind.

If re-elected Emery said he would like the board to continue to improve the quality of education in the district.

“I think I helped bring accountability to people who work for the district and we’ve been very responsible with the budget and taxes,” said Emery. “We’ve had to make a lot of tough decisions and tried to make decisions that don’t impact kids directly.”

• Kristie LeBlanc currently serves on the board. She could not be reached for comment.

BOARD OF ASSESSORS

• Douglas Denico, 70, is planning board chairman and says his top priorities if elected would include showing respect for taxpayers and their money and making an effort to help people keep up their properties.

• Robert Hagopian, 67, is the owner of Economy Trophy/Guns on Main Street and also serves on the school board and sanitation committee. He said he has an interest in serving on the board of assessors to keep taxes down.

• Lewis Ouilette, 87, is a real estate broker for Allied Realty in Skowhegan. He currently serves on the planning board and advisory board and sayd one of his goals if elected is to help the elderly with fixed incomes stay in their homes.

MADISON ELECTRIC WORKS BOARD

• Douglas Denico said that every board in town contributes to the expenses taxpayers face and if elected he would be mindful of where that money goes.

• Brett Hagopian, 38, is a city carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Augusta and also volunteers as a union representative. He serves on the Madison planning board and said he is running in order to lower utility rates.

• Dennis Wright, 49, is the owner of Pizzarama and an incumbent running for re-election and said he would like to maintain or lower electric rates.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

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