SKOWHEGAN — Four candidates are set to face off in June for two seats on the Skowhegan Board of Selectmen.

Incumbent Paul York, chair of the select board, is set to appear on the ballot for a fifth term, alongside political newcomers Ester Franklin, Ethan Liberty and Kevin Nelson.

Voters will elect two of the four candidates to three-year terms on the five-member board.

Municipal elections are set for Tuesday, June 10, the day after the annual town meeting. Polls are scheduled to be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Absentee voting is scheduled to be available through June 5. To request a ballot, voters may visit the municipal building at 225 Water St. or call the town clerk’s office at 207-474-6902.

York, 56, who runs a landscaping company, has been on the select board for 12 years. He said he is running to maintain continuity on the board.

“I like being involved,” York said in an interview via telephone. “And I feel that I have a lot to offer the town and just want to continue to do so.”

York said he hopes to continue the board’s transparency. The board broadcasts its meetings and members make themselves available to answer questions from the public, he said.

Finishing the baseball field that is part of the larger athletic complex planned adjacent to the community center would be a top priority, York said, in addition to limiting major tax increases.

“Contrary to what’s being said out there, everybody that’s on the board is concerned about taxes and wants to try to keep taxes down,” York said. “Am I going to sit there and say that that can happen? Nope. Because people basically need to make a decision on what they want: Do you want the services we provide?”

Franklin, 51, got third place in a four-way runoff for a select board seat in a special election in February.

Franklin grew up in Somerset County and returned to Skowhegan after living and working in South Korea and Germany from 2018-23. She works as a school-based clinician for Maine School Administrative District 54 and has a private counseling practice.

“I’m interested in civil discourse,” Franklin wrote in a message. “I want to maintain the process of civility within our town government. I think that’s important so that people’s voices can be heard.”

Franklin said she is interested in helping reduce the town’s waste disposal costs, supporting Skowhegan’s growth and tax base, creating pipelines for internships and apprenticeships, maintaining transparency and finishing the ongoing baseball field construction project.

Liberty, 28, grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from Skowhegan Area High School in 2014.

After graduating from Maine Maritime Academy, Liberty said he has worked at various mills and now works in the Utilities and Recovery Department at Sappi’s Somerset Mill, in addition to running a small storage business and taking side jobs in welding, farming and well drilling.

“Skowhegan needs people who know how to roll up their sleeves, manage real-life problems, and stick with it until the job’s done,” Liberty wrote in an email. “As someone building a life and raising a family here, I want to help make decisions that improve the lives of the people who call this town home.”

Liberty said his goals are making living in Skowhegan affordable, investing in basic infrastructure and ensuring large projects are “done right” with taxpayers in mind. He also said he wants to ensure the younger generations have opportunities in the area and feel safe in town.

Nelson, 62, is retired and said in an email he is running to ensure Skowhegan “stays where working families can afford to live, raise kids, and retire in peace.”

Nelson, who has lived in Skowhegan for 38 years, was a managing partner at Paul G. Nelson & Sons Construction and held senior management roles for 37 years at Midstate Machine.

“I’m running because I believe in practical leadership, responsible budgeting, and transparent decision-making,” Nelson wrote in an email. “I want to be a voice for the people who feel like they’re being left out of the process.”

Nelson said his goals are to deliver responsible budgeting, support investments in public safety, roads and infrastructure, prioritize transparency, preserve Skowhegan’s character while planning growth and advocating for good schools and youth programs.

In addition to the select board race, Skowhegan voters in June are set to choose school board directors, a Board of Assessors member, a Coburn Park commissioner and an overseer of the poor.

Of those, the only contested race is for MSAD 54 director. Five candidates are set to appear on the ballot for three positions, each with a three-year term.