Two seats on the Sidney Select Board are up for grabs, with one incumbent and three newcomers vying for votes Friday.

Sidney’s 3,700 registered voters will choose between incumbent chair John Whitcomb and Robert Rousseau for the full three-year term. Whitcomb, 52, has served on the board nearly consecutively since 2002. Rousseau failed to respond to several requests for comment.

No candidate qualified to appear on the ballot for the open two-year seat. Daniel Morrissette, a 66-year-old partially retired school bus driver, and James Pinkham Jr., a 45-year-old commercial driver, are competing for the seat via write-in campaigns.

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Sidney Town Office, 2986 Middle Road, Sidney.

The Kennebec Journal asked each candidate about their experience and what they hope to accomplish on the Select Board. Here’s what they said.

These interviews have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Why run for Select Board?

Whitcomb: I’ve worked really hard with other members of the board throughout the years to get the town in a very stable condition. I’d like to make sure that it keeps going in that direction.

I’ve had many different people on the board that have viewpoints that do not align with how the townspeople want the town to go, which has caused issues. I have wanted to make sure that it continues going smoothly. We have one of the lowest mill rates in the state, and we basically do not operate any of the town operations on tax money — it’s all cash in hand.

Morrissette: On my school bus, I post little signs up for the kids. One of them was, “Wants and needs are different.” Another one I put up said, “Be who you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

Something hit me about a month and a half ago that maybe I should do more around town. Not having done anything like this before, I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to. After a little bit of consideration, a friend told me there was an open seat. I’m like, OK, I can do that.

Pinkham: I am running for the Select Board because I want to make a positive impact in my community. I see a lot of concerns from our residents through social media, and I want to be part of the solution.

What do you see as Sidney’s biggest challenge, and what would you do to help solve it?

Whitcomb: The increase in cost of the county budget, school budget, Public Safety Answering Point and Delta. Obviously, we now pay for ambulance service we weren’t paying for four years ago. That’s $6.5 million for those services.

Our operating budget for the town is about $2 million this year. If we we didn’t have to pay for the school, the county, PSAP or Delta, the mill rate would be zero. People would have tno taxes.

Morrissette: I’ll be very honest with you, I don’t even know. I honestly do not know.

I’ve been to one town meeting in my life — last year. I don’t go to the Select Board meetings. I didn’t really know who’s on the Select Board, until someone posted it on Facebook. I don’t have an agenda. I just figure I’m someone with common sense who can listen to what’s going on, do a little research and come up with a reasonable answer.

Pinkham: I believe some of the biggest challenges in our town are the plowing and maintenance of our roads as well as having town officials be more vocal — both on social media and in person. A large portion of our community relies on social media as the primary way to share and receive information, and it’s important that our leadership is present and responsive there.

Why should a resident choose you over the other candidate?

Whitcomb: If they want to continue having one of the lowest tax rates in the state and know there’s a seasoned individual on the board that knows how the operations go, saves the town considerable money by not continuously contacting legal or getting other advice to pull things off — I know the operations and everything that goes through.

Sometimes, people say that new people on the board is good because it gives fresh ideas, and that is correct. But when there’s no one on the board that has a full understanding of how all the operations go, it causes bad morale in the town for the people who work there.

Morrissette: I’ve been in one industry for 44 years — the food service industry. Started as a dishwasher, got all the way up to a regional manager, and worked myself all the way back down to breakfast cook — and then got out. In my management part of that, I worked with owners, I worked with corporate, I worked with brand-new stuff, opening new things, revamping used things. I spent other people’s money, and I’ve watched other people’s money. They’ve been trusting me to do that since 1985.

I figure if I can do that, I could probably figure out what they want to do in Sidney, and make some decisions that are common sense, things most Americans would want.

Pinkham: I believe I am qualified because this is something I chose to do on my own. I genuinely want to help address the concerns of our residents and be a voice for those who feel they don’t have one.

At the end of your term, what do you want people to say about what you accomplished?

Whitcomb: I don’t do it for any kind of fame or recognition. I just want people to enjoy living there — that people can afford to do what they want to do, and not have to worry about their property taxes continuously rising without somebody doing something about it. Everything has a ripple effect, and I voice my opinion. I let them know. I try to make sure that that it’s fair across the board.

I enjoy doing the job. That’s why I kept doing it. I’m told I do a good job from residents. There’s people that don’t think you do, but they don’t have all the facts. And just because they don’t have the facts, they say what they want to say.

Morrissette: That I was able to approach him and talk to him, and he looked me in the eye and listened. Simple as that.

Pinkham: I want to support our community — especially when it comes to road maintenance and plowing, which continue to be major concerns. Many residents are getting involved in these discussions because they haven’t been able to get answers on their own, and they deserve to be heard.