By Victor Tine
NEWBURY — The town's races for the Board of Selectmen in this year's annual election are one of a kind.
Because the board is expanding from three to five members, voters will be electing three people when they go to the polls on May 12.
One will succeed incumbent Jennifer Wright, who decided not to seek a second three-year term. The two others will represent the board's expansion.
In addition to Wright's seat, there will be another three-year position to be elected. There will also be a two-year term to be decided.
Running for three-year terms are Michael Bulgaris of 177 Orchard St., Stephen Mangion of 21 14th St. and Geoffrey Walker of 173 High Road. Voters will be able to mark their ballots for two of the candidates, and two will be elected.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Voters in Precinct 1 (Old Town and Plum Island) can cast ballots at Town Hall, 25 High Road. The polling place for Precinct 2 (Byfield) is Byfield Town Hall, 7 Central St.
Here are profiles of the three contenders for three-year seats, based on interviews and public statements:
Michael Bulgaris
Address: 177 Orchard St.
Age: 65
Occupation: Chief probation officer, Ipswich District Court
Education: Bachelor's degree, Northeastern University; associate's degree, North Shore Community College
Years in Newbury: 65
Public Service: Conservation Commission, Board of Fire Engineers, Committee on Public Trust for Massachusetts District Courts, former police chief in Rowley, former assistant fire chief and former police officer in Newbury
Mike Bulgaris says town department heads must remain within their budgets, even the current depleted ones.
"We can't spend money we don't have," he says.
Bulgaris says the town desperately needs a new police station. The Governor's Academy has offered the town land on Route 1 as a site, but now local officials have to come up with the money for a building.
It won't be easy, he says, but it can be done.
He points to the new Byfield Fire Station as an example of what can be accomplished without tapping tax revenue. The station project, which Bulgaris worked on as president of the fire company, was built entirely with money raised by the department.
Bulgaris would also like to see changes in the way Triton Regional School funds are assessed to each of the three communities in the district. Newbury, he says, is considered an "affluent" town, and right now that's just not the case.
Bulgaris wants to broaden the town's tax base by bringing in light industrial or commercial uses.
He says a good example of a revenue-producing commercial use is the Byfield marketplace on Kent Way developed by R.J. Kelly of Burlington in the late 1980s and now assessed at $4.3 million.
Bulgaris said he would like to initiate a program in which Triton students would obtain basic Emergency Medical Technician certification and work on the town's ambulances during summers.
Bulgaris said that as a police chief he was responsible for drafting budgets and learned how to obtain grants for his department, skills that will help his effectiveness as a selectman.
In his capacity as a probation officer, he has worked with three school systems in helping young people get or stay out of trouble.
"In my job, I've been able to make a difference in people's lives," he says. "It's time now to give something back."
Stephen Mangion
Address: 21 14th St.
Age: 61
Occupation: Geologist for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Education: Bachelor's degree, Tufts University; master's degree in geology, Boston University.
Years in Newbury: 10
Public service: Member of Trustees of Reservations, Essex County Greenbelt, Friends of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts Audubon, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club.
Steve Mangion likes to keep an eye on things. As a private citizen, he is a familiar figure at meetings of many of Newbury's boards and commissions.
Now, he wants to change his role from observer and citizen activist to elected official.
"Public service," he says, "it's something I believe in quite strongly."
Like others running for the selectman's position, he sees finances as the town's first priority.
But there are other issues that also need to be addressed, he says.
He emphasizes the need for local government to keep residents as well informed as possible.
"I want to make government more transparent, to put more things on the town's Web site," he says. Some boards and departments are conscientious about posting their agendas and meeting minutes, but he'd like to see all of them do it.
He wants to retain Newbury's rural character but would support "appropriate" development at sites like the 100-acre, Route 1 parcel that was proposed as The Village at Little River.
"I'd be happy to see something developed there, with an environmental cleanup," he said.
He doesn't think the property is as bad an environmental disaster as development proponents argued, he says, and the use of the "fear factor" undermined his confidence in the project.
Although he is the only selectman candidate who lives on Plum Island, he says he doesn't intend to represent only island interests, but will work for the whole town.
He doesn't pretend to be an expert on all the issues facing the community, but he says he's willing to learn.
"You question and try to make sound decisions," he says. "I may have to say 'I don't know' sometimes, but when the time comes to make a decision, I'll have the facts."
Geoffrey Walker
Address: 173 High Road
Age: 62
Occupation: Retail business owner, decoy maker
Education: Bachelor's degree, Clark University; master's degree in education, Springfield College
Years in Newbury: 26
Public service: Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Old Town Water Commission, Open Space Committee, Eight Towns & The Bay, Sandy Point Association.
Newbury is facing "tumultuous fiscal times," Geof Walker says.
"It's not exactly bleak, but we probably won't be building a new police station or a town hall or a senior center any time soon," he says.
Much of Newbury's budget consists of costs that were locked in previously or aren't under the town's direct control, which makes for difficult decisions for the selectmen and Town Administrator Chuck Kostro.
"At the end of the day, it's us and Chuck as town administrator who'll be making the tough decisions on how to fund services in a balanced and responsible fashion," he says.
Walker says his family believes in public service. His father, wildlife artist and conservationist Henry "Hank" Walker, was a state representative from Salisbury. His son Nathan was recently named to the Board of Fire Engineers.
Walker himself has served on several municipal boards, mainly those dealing with open space and environmental issues.
"I love the town of Newbury, and I've chosen to be in public service," he says.
He grew up on Plum Island and appreciates the importance of the Great Marsh to the town's character.
"The barrier island and the Great Marsh are my total love," he says.
While striving to preserve Newbury's "open, rural agricultural character," Walker recognizes that some development is inevitable.
"We're going to grow, but we have to grow in a smart fashion," he says.
Walker says he'll always keep the lines of communication open with other boards in town and with the public.
"I'll work diligently to foster an aura of communication in Town Hall," he says.
"Don't look to me for any epiphanies; I just want to go in and work hard," he says. "I want to revere the past, strive to understand the present and hopefully protect the future."
