Selectman candidate Richard Cutler is straightforward about why he wants to serve on the board he left in 2002.

“Well, it’s frustration mostly,” Cutler said.

Cutler, who chairs the Zoning Board of Appeals, said efforts to overhaul town bylaws have been stymied recently. If elected, he wants those bylaws reviewed and rewritten to encourage responsible growth.

“We’ve heard people say, ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it,’” Cutler said. “Well, the zoning bylaws aren’t broken, but they do need a lot of maintenance. We tried to move them forward and didn’t get support from the Board of Selectmen.”

Cutler served as a Selectman from 1996 to 2002, but stepped down after those two terms. That was an active period for the board, he said.

During Cutler’s tenure, the first town administrator and town planner were hired. Several municipal buildings were built, including the police station and the highway barn. Also, he helped plan for Rochester Memorial School’s addition.

For 11 years, he served on the school building committee and spent 16 years on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He was also appointed to the Zoning Bylaw Review Subcommittee, which was created by the Planning Board. The group is currently revamping the limited commercial district bylaw that governs new construction in the town's center.

Having grown up on Cape Cod, Cutler said he wants Rochester to avoid overdevelopment issues that occurred there.

“It always bothered me how the Cape was developed,” he said. “Developers basically took over and built houses on 10,000 square foot lots without any consideration for septic or land use...I really don’t want to see that happen here.”

Cutler moved to town with his wife in 1979. His children, who are now adults, attended Rochester Memorial School.

At the past few Town Meetings, Cutler said bylaw changes were defeated after an elected official expressed doubt.

It’s important for the town to present a united front to voters, he said.

“That’s where the frustration is coming from,” he said. “We’re not getting consensus.”

Cutler said his previous work experience qualified him for the position. Before retiring, Cutler worked for 27 years as the director of facilities and projects at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.

“I ran the place, from a physical plant point of view,” he said.

Cutler directed a crew of 50 who were responsible for everything from cleaning floors to collecting marine specimens.

Having managed a budget much larger than the town’s for the laboratory, Cutler said he’s comfortable with finances.

Just before his retirement, Cutler said the laboratory had finished a $25 million renovation for one of the buildings.

Cutler said he hopes voters consider his experience and return him to the board.

“I’m retired now and have some energy,” Cutler said. “I’d like to get back in.”