MARION — With Marion’s Town Election set to be held on Friday, May 16, the races for the available Select Board and the Open Space Acquisition Commission seats are the only ones contested and will feature some familiar faces.

Four candidates are running for one seat on the Select Board, with member Carleton Burr choosing not to pursue reelection.

John Hoagland, who first served on the Select Board from 1986 to 1992, is looking to return to the Board to address the issues he believes still burden the town nearly 40 years later.

This includes resolving infrastructure needs — in particular road repairs — as well as addressing issues with the water and sewer systems and creating infrastructure and housing suitable for senior residents.

According to Hoagland, over 45% of the Marion population is over 62-years old, but when he looks around he doesn’t see much of a focus on seniors’ needs and keeping citizens in Marion.

“It’s the role of [the] government to take care of all of our citizens,” he said.

Regarding the potential $3.7 million Town House renovation project, Hoagland said he believes it’s more important to prioritize repairing roads rather than starting renovations.

Hoagland also supports the proposed Marion Village Historic District, stating that preserving Marion’s historical roots could prove beneficial.

Sean Sweeney is looking to bring new ideas to the Select Board, and said that his work at CHA Consulting, an engineering firm that focuses on project and construction management, has given him insight into how Select Boards function.

“I want to bring that knowledge to Marion,” he said.

If elected to the Select Board, Sweeney would look to address Marion’s infrastructure needs, including the wastewater treatment plant.

“Less than half of the single family homes in Marion aren’t even on the system, so you have half of the residents paying for the entire wastewater treatment plant, which also reflects their water bill rate,” he said.

Sweeney said it’s important that the town focuses on the Town House renovations as soon as possible due to the rising costs of construction, supports creating a Historic District and believes that regulating short term rentals and accessory dwelling units is “generally a good idea.”

Cynthia Callow, who served on the Conservation Commission for a decade and is currently chair of the Board of Appeals, decided to run for the Select Board to focus on fixing infrastructure issues and maintaining the essential departments of Marion.

Callow said that fixing roads and sidewalks is one of her top priorities, explaining that their current conditions could create dangerous situations.

“I think [we] need to fix the existing ones and then we can add more,” she said.

Callow also said she thinks it’s time for the Board to be more diverse, adding that having a woman on the Board would “be a good change.”

When it comes to Town House renovations, Callow said she hopes the project can move forward and get ADA approved.

Callow, who is a homeowner within the proposed Historic District, said she was disappointed that the Historic District Commission exempted two commercial entities from district guidelines but ultimately said she’s comfortable leaving the creation of the district up to residents and whether they vote to approve it.

George “TJ” Walker is running for the Select Board to address issues related to infrastructure and financial prioritization. 

Walker’s goals would include improving living conditions for senior residents, with a focus on lowering the high cost of living and the town’s physical infrastructure.

“The fact that our infrastructure is in such poor shape is affecting a great number of folks in our community,” he said.

Walker also submitted a citizens petition to be voted on at Town Meeting that would appropriate $2.7 million to prioritize repairing roads and sidewalks.

Other topics Walker would like to address include restoring financial transparency with how taxpayer money is spent and reducing water and sewer rates.

Walker also sees the proposed Historic District as a positive for taxpayers and approves of regulating short term rentals and accessory dwelling units in town.

There are three candidates running for two seats on the Open Space Acquisition Commission.

Incumbent John Rockwell, who has served on the Commission since 2003, is running for reelection to try and finish the Point Street Bike Paths project, which has been in the works for two decades, and would use grant money to develop open space projects that residents are interested in.

Newcomer Shaun Walsh, who would bring his expertise from the Conservation Commission to the Open Space Acquisition Commission, also said that the bike paths project is one of his top priorities, expressing disappointment that the project is being built in phases rather than all at once.

Walsh would also like to improve relationships with the Department of Public Works and external partners such as the Sippican Lands Trust and the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

Adele Sands has 35 years of experience in education and is running for reelection to focus on “achievable goals” for community resources and conservation efforts, including preserving open spaces and natural landscapes for future generations to enjoy.

“We live in a disposal world, and to be conscious about preserving things for our children, for our grandchildren it’s essential to me,” she said.

One Board of Assessors seat, one Board of Health seat, one Marion School Committee seat, one Old Rochester Regional School Committee seat and two Planning Board seats are also on the ballot, with all contenders running unopposed.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center.