The current vice chair of the three-member Chelsea Selectboard is facing a re-election challenge from the town’s representative in the Maine House.

Incumbent Jacob Soucy, 38, is vying for his second term. Rep. Michael Lemelin, a Republican and one of two state lawmakers censured following comments linking the Lewiston mass shooting to God’s punishment for Maine’s abortion laws, is the challenger in the race.

The Kennebec Journal asked each candidate about their hopes for the three-year term on the select board. Lemelin did not respond to a telephone and three email requests for comment.

Soucy’s answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES?

Jacob Soucy: Holding people accountable, common sense and trying to work with the board more in-depth cutting and working on lowering the taxes.

This last budget cycle was an absolute joke. The chair didn’t even bring our budget book to the meeting. We only meet once a month, and I recommend we meet every two weeks — it gives you that extra time rather than jamming the whole month into one meeting. If we had the extra time, we could find an item we want to really tackle. As increases keep coming in, you have to somehow somewhere balance out the shock of that increase. I feel if we, as a board, better worked on things, we could really help the town, and it just feels like we’re not doing that right now. It’s frustrating.

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?

Soucy: I lived here my whole life. I have a kid in school, and we have another kid on the way who will be here in about five weeks. I feel like every kid should have the opportunity that we all had growing up in a nice, great, safe town.

It’s our community. It’s all we have, and at the end of the day, all that matters to me is being there for your residents and always doing what’s best for the taxpayer.

If somebody has an issue in town, they come to me and I address it immediately. I don’t have a lot of time, and if it’s brought to me now, we’re going to fix it or get quick resolution on the answer. I just bring a lot of knowledge to the town, a lot of common sense, and I hold people accountable. If you’re not doing something right, the people voted me into this position to oversee what’s going on, and make sure the business is running as it should. If it’s not, I’m going to speak up, and that’s what the taxpayer wants.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING CHELSEA? BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY?

Soucy: They want to do a revaluation, and it’s going to be hard on the taxpayer. It’s been a while since it’s been done. We’re still in the percentile, we don’t need to get it done — it’s just trying to work with the town manager and the board, figuring out when we’re going to do this, and if it’s even going to happen, looking ahead of what’s coming down the chute and trying to be proactive.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT HOW CHELSEA FUNCTIONS, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Soucy: I’ve lived in town for 38 years. I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s just keeping everyone involved and making sure everybody in town has a good source of information they can get.

Nobody comes to our meetings. There’s seven to 10 people at our meetings, and it’s just pathetic. Somehow we have to get residents more involved in what’s going on. The more people involved, the better input you’re going to get. It helps figure out what we want to do moving forward. If no one’s involved, and my feeling it kind of gets lazy, and that’s not right.

DO YOU SUPPORT MORE DEVELOPMENT IN CHELSEA? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Soucy: We own our own business (Maurice Soucy & Sons Lawncare and Soucy’s Bait Shop). I’m all about business, business brings in money.

The problem we’re facing right now is this housing shortage, but at the end of the day, the school budget coming in, each student going into that school isn’t cheap. If we put in a mobile home, and if they have two or three kids in that building, the tax flop on the other end of that isn’t right. We need to work on figuring out the in-between happiness, because what we’re heading down isn’t working on the school side of that.

The other side is, we have more business come to town. That’s great. That’s what we want. That’s what I want — more business generates more income.