After 12 years as a Selectman, Naida Parker says there’s still a lot left on her agenda for the town if re-elected.

“I think we’ve got some pretty big challenges going forward,” Parker said.

Parker, formerly of Boston, moved to Rochester in 1977.

She has served as town clerk since 1984. She was first elected to the board in 1999, but stepped down after two terms when her husband passed away.

In 2009, Parker returned to the board.

Since then, she said developers  have expressed interest in building on the Rochester Crossing property.

Located at the intersection of Cranberry Highway and Route 28, the 30-acre lot is prime real estate for new business.

“[Developers] wanted to start three or four years ago, but the economy has been slow,” Parker said.

With a gas station currently proposed for the site, she said the area is starting to attract attention.

One of the reasons board members hired Town Administrator Mike McCue last year was due to his economic development background, she said.

McCue worked as an economic director in Walpole.

As Avon’s town administrator he guided development there.

“For a town that physically is half the size of Rochester, and that has the same population as we do, [Avon] has a huge economic base to generate taxes,” she said. “Hopefully, his expertise will help broaden our economic base.”

The extra tax dollars are needed to fund an ever-expanding education budget.

Parker said last year marked the first time officials from all three towns met with administrators to discuss the budget beforehand.

The meeting proved helpful for everyone involved. It's a practice she wants tri-town officials to continue.

“We were unified in our approach to the middle and high schools, which is a big part of our budget,” Parker said.

Though, the amount needed to fund the school budget has left little money for town departments recently, she said.

“The last three or four years, all department heads have been asked to level fund budgets,” Parker said.

It's important that officials seek to increase the commercial and industrial tax base.

But growth efforts should be done with an eye towards preserving open space, Parker said.

“I moved here because I wanted to be in a rural community,” she said.

“One of the attractions of Rochester is having privacy and a rural atmosphere.”

When she first moved to Rochester there were no street numbers posted. For a few years, she resisted putting one on her home because “people couldn’t find me unless I wanted them to,” she joked.

“That’s what Rochester has always been,” Parker said.

“It’s a very fine line between preserving that rural nature and encouraging some businesses to come into town.”