Two Wiscasset selectmen will find out if they've been re-elected when the votes are counted Tuesday night, while three other candidates will learn if they have won a seat on the board.

The two incumbents are Bill Curtis and Phil DiVece. The other three candidates are Bob Fairfield, Prior Morrell, and Arthur (Skip) Taylor.

The three winners will join selectmen David Nichols and Nicole Viele.

Based on information the candidates have submitted and personal interviews with each of them, a profile of each of the candidates follows.

Asked how he would improve communications between local government and the citizens, Curtis said the town's new website, now under construction, should help in this regard. He said the website will have reports from the town manager, minutes, an overview of each department and the manager, the town budget showing the history of monthly expenditures, and schedules of departmental activities.

When it comes to Town Manager Arthur Faucher, Curtis thinks he should get out into the community more.

"He doesn't blow his own horn," Curtis said.

As for the current communications confusion among voters about the school budgeting process under new consolidation rules, Curtis puts 90 percent of the blame for the current confusion about school budgets and school consolidation on "Augusta."

Curtis is not in favor of restoring the "Public Comment" agenda item to the beginning of the selectmen's meetings. This request has been made by several residents, and this newspaper, because it forces citizens to stay through the entire meeting before they can speak on an item not included on the agenda.

At this point, Curtis says there's nothing the town can do about the state's plan to build a bypass along one of the routes the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has proposed. Letters have already been sent out by MDOT to property owners who will be affected, he said. Curtis, who lives at the corner of the Old Bath Road and Route 1, is one of those property owners.

"I don't believe there is anything we can do at this point - we're beyond the point of no return. In hindsight, we should have been better organized over the last 10 to 20 years." The selectmen went on record last year in opposition to all the proposed routes by sending a letter to the MDOT Commissioner.

Faucher and the selectmen have requested an economic impact study by MDOT to reveal what the town will lose in tax dollars when as many as 33 homes and 15 businesses may be taken off the tax roles.

Calling himself "a staunch supporter of industrial research," Curtis said he supports promotion of economic development by local government, and proposes the creation of a citizens' Economic Industrial Development Committee.

Asked if towns in Lincoln County have any recourse to combat county taxes, which have tripled in the last 10 years, Curtis said, "We should be more proactive about what the government is doing - what percentage of their expenses are fixed?"

The best way to respond to issues or concerns raised by citizens is "to evaluate them, and respond to them," Curtis said. Noting that the selectmen recently got an un-signed letter which raised a concern, Curtis said people should let the selectmen know who they are, so they can respond.

Asked about outgoing chairman Wayne Goud's statement that the selectmen don't always follow their own bylaws, Curtis said, "I think we do follow them, 99 percent of the time."

Asked what the town's greatest asset is, Curtis answered, "the people in the town." Asked if all town jobs should be advertised, Curtis said yes.

When it comes to the Right to Know law, Curtis said he believes there has been "an over reaction to it."

"There should be times when the selectmen can get together and discuss things in private," he said. Asked why, Curtis said, "Because there are some things that you would say with five people there that you wouldn't say in an open meeting."

"This is the second year we have not had to go to the townspeople for more money," Curtis said. "I credit the town employees for working within their budgets.

Excessive federal and state regulations are costing small towns dearly, Curtis said, notably in areas like emergency services, "where people in small towns have to follow the same regulations as people in Miami." The answer to this is having better watchdogs in Augusta and the federal government, he says.

There are several ways communications with townspeople can be improved, DiVece said, starting with a return to weekly selectmen's meetings at the same time, 7 p.m., every week. Selectmen used to do this, until the decision was made to go to every other week; however, there has been a need for extra meetings, which have had starting times varying from 5 to 6 to 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

"People have told me they've tried to get on the agenda, and they can't because the agendas are already full," he says.

He thinks having the sign in front of the town office, which lists times and places of meetings, has helped a great deal. This, plus the new website will help communications, as well as helping to fulfill the town's obligation under the Right To Know law, he says.

In terms of handling requests, concerns, and suggestions from the public, DiVece says there may be a need from time to time to form a subcommittee.

"We have some really, really bright, talented people in this town - we've got to get more of them involved." In fact, when he was asked what the town's biggest asset is, he answered, "Our people. This community has a lot of good, intelligent people."

One of his concerns as a selectman has been the other board members' reluctance to have a majority of selectmen (three of the five) in a discussion at the town office (or involved together in some other activity) because that would mean the town has to post a meeting notice under the Right To Know law. DiVece said it's not a big deal to post notice of a meeting, so the selectmen shouldn't let that be a reason not to allow more gatherings of a majority of the board - or all the board members - if the need arises.

DiVece, who, like Curtis, owns property near, or on one of the proposed bypass routes, has decided it's not worth worrying about, because the state hasn't got the money to build a bypass anyway.

"The only thing Augusta is talking about right now is the cost of fuel," he said. In that regard, he says the state legislature should be doing more to help people with fuel assistance.

"Hardly anyone qualifies now, because of the state guidelines," he says. A single person making $642 a month doesn't qualify, and a family of four, with an income of $1,050, doesn't qualify."

Both local government and the private sector have a responsibility to promote economic growth, he says. In addition to the new town website, a brochure is also in the works.

What, if anything, can Lincoln County towns do about the county budget? DiVece said more newspaper coverage of how the county spends its money is needed.

In what will be an added burden to local government, DiVece says, "The state legislature is talking about turning the operation costs of the jails over to the town." Lincoln County shares in the running of the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset with Sagadahoc County.

Asked whether the selectmen should follow their bylaws, DiVece said, "Absolutely - they're there for a reason, both for the protection of the selectmen and the public. I feel very strongly about that."

All town jobs should be advertised, DiVece says. He didn't agree with pay raises the selectmen gave to three town employees several months ago.

"That should have gone through the budget committee," he says. "At the very least, they should have had a say in it. It never went to a town vote, and it wasn't fair to the other department heads."

Bob Fairfield, who was elected last year, but resigned after his wife died, is once again a candidate for the board.

One of the best ways to improve communications between the town and citizens is by keeping the town website up to date, Fairfield says. The town is in the process of building a new website, but the existing one has not been kept up to date. Fairfield is critical of this, saying the existing one should be used until the new one is ready.

Like DiVece and Curtis, Fairfield is also not in favor of restoring the "Public Comment" agenda item to the beginning of the meeting. Although it's supposed to last only 30 minutes, Fairfield says it has gone on longer than that. He said whoever is elected chairman (the current chairman is not running again) should use the gavel when necessary to keep the comments from each person to five minutes and the total to 30 minutes.

Regardless of whether the money ever becomes available, Fairfield says all of the current proposed bypass routes "will ruin the village."

"We don't need a bypass," he says. "For three months out of the year, it's not worth spending the money. It's not the tourists that have a problem with the traffic, anyway - it's the locals."

Asked what the town can do, if anything, to stop the construction of it, Fairfield suggested having the selectmen and the town manager go to the state and "tell them we don't want it." He also suggested launching a petition effort.

Fairfield would like to see local government play more of a role in promoting economic development. He sees both local government and the private sector responsible for boosting the town's economy.

"Route 1 needs to be made more accessible for businesses," he said, a reference to MDOT's relatively recent practice of charging an "impact fee" for businesses who request new curb cuts on the state road.

Referring to the state-imposed fee that Ames Supply was charged when it moved to a different location on Route 1, Fairfield said, "The state keeps cutting us down."

Fairfield said he doesn't know what, if anything, Lincoln County towns can do about the tripling of taxes from the county in the last ten years, but, he added, "We can't keep affording this."

As for handling suggestions and comments from taxpayers, Fairfield said it's important to get back to people as quickly as possible.

"I think this is something that hasn't been handled well." Asked about following the selectmen's bylaws, he said, they should always be followed.

Asked what the town's greatest asset is, he answered, "the town's historic district," which, he thinks, the town should do more to promote.

All town jobs should be advertised, he said. The selectmen's decision a few years ago to hire Andrew Gilmore, the town's director of economic development, as the new town manager without any advertising, was wrong, he says. As for multi-year contracts, he said it often takes a year for someone to learn the job, so he doesn't have a problem with them.

No meetings should be scheduled unless the public has had ample notice, he said. Sending a fax to the newspapers the day of, or the day before the meeting doesn't meet the requirements of the Right to Know law, Fairfield said.

Prior Morrell thinks the town could better inform citizens by having Saturday morning meetings, perhaps once a month, to discuss town business. Asked if he thinks people would come, he answered, "I think young families would."

The public comment agenda items should "very definitely" be moved back up to the beginning of the selectmen's meeting, he said.

"You probably remember that I stood up and objected strongly when they moved it to the end," he said.

Like DiVece, Morrell says the bypass probably won't happen anytime soon because of the state's financial problems. "The state is broke," he says.

"Of what value is a bypass when we have roads and bridges that should be fixed," he said. And, he says, it's not needed, even during summer when the traffic is slowed. He said he asked the late Doug Kennedy of Edgecomb how long it took him to drive from his Route 1 car wash business to his home in Edgecomb when traffic was slow. He said it was never more than eight minutes to the railroad tracks at the bottom of Main Street, and from that point on, "it's clear sailing."

Morrell said he once asked MDOT engineer Ed Hanscom how the state defines "restriction," which is the word used to describe impediments to traffic flow. Morrell said he was told that a restriction is "any slow down." Far more important to the state, Morrell said, is the construction of an east-west highway.

As to whether the private sector of local government is responsible for promoting economic development, Morrell said, "both." Asked if he favors the town hiring another economic development director, he said, "No, it's a waste of money." Responding to the question of what Lincoln county towns can do about taxes that have tripled in ten years, Morrell said, "triple the services if you're going to triple the price."

Like the other candidates, Morrell said the selectmen should follow up on suggestions and recommendations from the public. He said he once presented a proposal for a de-salinization plant to Andrew Gilmore, but his proposal was never brought to the selectmen. On another occasion, Morrell said he wrote a strong letter of recommendation urging that Wiscasset selectmen interview John O'Connell of Boothbay for the town manager's job, but got no response from the town.

"As far as I'm concerned, John O'Connell was the best town manager this town ever had," Morrell said, referring to the time period several years ago when O'Connell served as interim town manager. "Not only did I not hear back from the town, they never even gave him (O'Connell) an interview." Asked about multi-year contracts, Morrell called them "ridiculous - unless there's proven performance to substantiate it."

As for following the selectmen's bylaws, Morrell said, "If you're going to have them, use them."

The town's biggest asset, without question, he said, is "the second best deepwater harbor in the state."

In setting up town meetings, Morrell said it's not only important to meet the requirements of the Right to Know law, it's also important "to be cautious of other peoples' schedules."

Skip Taylor responds to the question about keeping townspeople informed about local issues by suggesting that the town manager write a semi-monthly report on the town's website and in the weekly newspapers. He would also like to see the "public comment" agenda item moved back to the beginning of the meeting, rather than at the end.

"The selectmen should also encourage more participation from the public," Taylor says. In going door to door to campaign, and at public events, Taylor has handed out a campaign flyer which says, ""Encourage and facilitate the flow of ideas and suggestions from townspeople. Set aside ample time during the selectmen's meeting each month for people to come forth to speak and/or provide suggestions, then make sure each comment or suggestion, regardless of merit, be heard, discussed, considered and ultimately reported on."

Taylor said he would like the process structured so that selectmen would report the following week on suggestions or recommendations made at the previous week's meeting.

"The town should be run like a business. The town manager is the CEO, who reports to the selectmen on what's happening; the selectmen direct the CEO (town manager). The selectmen are the board of directors, and the taxpayers are the shareholders."

Taylor said he didn't agree with the recent raise the selectman gave the town manager, saying he hasn't proved himself yet.

As for the Right to Know law, Taylor has a paragraph in his campaign flyer which addresses the issue, saying there should be "a more open way town officials can work in your behalf. Reduce the number of closed meetings. Set a firm starting time and eliminate short notice/surprise public meetings without proper time for voter debate and vote."

Taylor agrees with some of the other candidates that Wiscasset doesn't need a bypass for occasional backups in the summer. He would like to see a traffic cop in the village (paid for by MDOT) to keep things moving, stop left hand turns in the village and cut back on the number of crosswalks.

Asked whether government or the private sector should be responsible for promoting economic development, Taylor said, "both."

"What Wiscasset needs is someone who is responsible for economic development. There's no one now, even though Jeff [Hinderliter, director of planning] has the title. He doesn't have the time."

Taylor would like to see an economic development task force to attract businesses.

"The town needs a business association to spearhead this." In his campaign flyer, he calls for changing the Waterfront Committee to the Downtown Waterfront Committee, "focusing on creating a viable downtown with a varied mix of retail stores, restaurants, boutiques, etc., including a riverfront walkway and pier with seasonal boutiques and vendors, and a train station to facilitate visitors and shoppers to Wiscasset."

Taylor said before he founded his business, Winters Gone Farm, on Route 218, "I knew exactly what I wanted to do here. I didn't end up doing everything I thought I would but I tried a lot of ideas. I did my own marketing - that's where a business association comes in. Waldoboro has a very successful one, and we should have one, too."

Taylor said he couldn't speak to the issue of county taxes, because he hasn't studied it. He thinks the town's biggest asset is the downtown and waterfront.

"The town's next biggest asset is the people," he said. "There are a lot of very smart people in this town. I would like to see a Blue Ribbon Panel established to set up an endowment for the community center, to get it off the backs of the taxpayers."

Voting for the selectmen's seats takes place Tuesday, June 10 at the community center, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.