CASTLETON — Patrick Eagan is trying to rejoin the Select Board.

Eagan, 66, served several years on the board and was chairman when he resigned in 2000. At the time he said he took his recent primary defeat in a legislative race as a vote of no-confidence from the town. The following year he lost to Thomas Ettori, who had been appointed to replace him.

This time, Eagan is running for one of the pair of one-year seats on the board against incumbents James Leamy and Stephen Williams Sr.

"I follow the town," Eagan said. "I still represent the town on the transportation council. People called, asked me to run — several people. I had a concern personally about the wind towers. I'd like to be in a position to listen and give input."

Eagan said he was leaning toward favoring the wind farm and was concerned about anti-wind activists coming to town from other parts of the state.

"I think the main thing is to listen to the local people," he said.

Whatever becomes of the proposed wind farm, Eagan said there is another type of tower Castleton needs to discuss putting on one of its ridgelines.

"I think we need cell towers," he said. "Things like this need to be addressed. … There's a lot of dead areas."

Leamy, 73, said he has served four years on the board. He is also executive director of the Lake Bomoseen Association and the town's health officer.

Leamy touted the conversion of the transfer station to a user-fee system as a significant accomplishment and said the board is working on plans to renovate the town office building.

"We're constantly looking for ways to improve our efficiency," he said. "We're rewriting the sewage ordinance to make it more equitable for all the various parties. I think the biggest challenge is the same one we have throughout the state — controlling the property tax level."

While the issue will have to be solved on a state level, Leamy said Castleton can make its voice heard through cooperation with other towns and through the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. He also said Castleton could find ways to co-operate with neighboring towns like Fair Haven, Hubbardton and Poultney in providing services.

Leamy said he is running on his experience, pointing out that he served on other town boards before becoming a selectman.

"I think I have a pretty good feel for what we try to do on the local level," he said.

Williams, 46, works for the town highway department. He has completed his first year on the board.

"It's pretty much a learning process," he said. "Things are a little better than what they were. There's a lot to it. It takes a lot of time to deal with being a selectman. I've gotten to learn a little bit more about this tax abatement stuff and stuff like that."

Like Leamy, Williams said he wants to see a change in the way the sewer rates are calculated.

"Personally, myself, I think it needs to be metered," he said. "Stuff like that would be a big help as far as water and sewer. It would be more fair."

Williams said he also believes the town needs to do something to bring property taxes down, but doesn't know what.

"That's what I've been trying to study on, concentrate on and figure out," he said. "I just think everybody needs a fair shake and there's a lot of things that need to be done."

Elsewhere on the ballot, Selectman William Mulholland is running unopposed for another three-year term. Keith Alexander, Cristine Smith and Stanley Curran are all running unopposed for seats on the School Board.

Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.