Three candidates are running for three at-large town councilor positions.
Inclumbent Palmer Town Councilor Philip Hebert, left, is facing a challenge for his District 1 seat from Carl Bryant in the annual town election.PALMER - In a rematch of the 2007 race, Philip J. Hebert of Thorndike and Carl F. Bryant of Bondsville will face off for a three-year term to represent district 1 on the Town Council.
Hebert beat Bryant by two votes in 2007, after Bryant requested a recount because Hebert had originally won by four votes.
The annual election is Tuesday, and polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Precincts 1 and 4 will vote at the Sts. Peter & Paul Parish Center at the Church of Divine Mercy on Main Street in Three Rivers, and precincts 2 and 3 will vote at Converse Middle School on Converse Street.
The annual election moved from November to June as a result of charter changes approved by voters last November that also reduced the council from nine to seven members.
Hebert, 50, a truck driver, said he has enjoyed his time on the council, and learned a lot. He said he enjoys giving back to the community, and said people feel comfortable approaching him about their issues.
"People always think that government is not there to help them. I want to represent the people," Hebert said. "This has been quite the learning experience and I totally jumped right out of my comfort zone."
"More people should get off the couch," he said.
Hebert described himself as pro-business. If a casino deal is ever reached to bring a resort-style Mohegan Sun casino across from the turnpike exit, he said the voters will have the final say.
Hebert said he is proud that he, along with Council President Eric A. Duda, and former District 4 Councilor Roger Duguay Jr., pushed to get rid of a proposed tax increase to fund the elementary school roof project and final construction payment for the schools.
At the time the vote was taken back in November, Hebert said getting rid of the tax increase was a way to reward residents who pay their taxes on time.
This will be Bryant's third run for Town Council. A former Bondsville Fire and Water Commissioner, Bryant said he supports the form of government, but thinks some of the decisions the council has made have been wrong.
Bryant, 40, pointed to the firings of the last two town managers, Richard L. Fitzgerald, and Matthew L. Streeter. Bryant said those decisions cost the townspeople a lot of money, as both were terminated before their contracts were over.
"Phil Hebert is a nice guy. He's a regular common man who wants to do good for his town," Bryant said, adding that he feels the Town Council as a whole has not done its job.
"They haven't really done much," Bryant said.
Bryant said he is not a politician, and described himself as "straightforward." He is a landscaper.
Bryant said there are important decisions to be made in the coming months, pointing to a slew of upcoming retirements - acting town manager Patricia A. Kennedy, acting public works director Richard P. Kaczmarczyk and School Superintendent Gerald A. Fournier. Also, a new recreation director will need to be hired.
Regarding the casino, Bryant said he supports it, but if the majority of his constituents were against it, he would vote against it as well.
"I do have the best interest of the town in mind," Bryant said.
Three candidates are running for three at-large town councilor positions, incumbents Karl S. Williams and Paul E. Burns, and Mary A. Salzmann. The highest vote-getter will serve three years, followed by two years and one year.