Four people are competing for three seats on the Bayfield Town Board. The election is April 1, with voting at Town Hall.

Candidates are incumbent Michelle Nelson and newcomers Matthew Salka, John Turgeon and J.J. Sanders. Incumbent Tom Au is term-limited; incumbent Debbi Renfro filed a candidate petition, but she has withdrawn because of time commitments with a new job.

Michelle Nelson

Nelson was appointed to the board in July 2012. Before that, she served on the town’s Planning Commission for three years and was chairwoman for the last year. She has a daughter in fourth grade.

She is running for the board “because I care about the future of Bayfield. I think it’s an exciting time that we can pick a good direction for our town to go. I’ve enjoyed serving on the board for the last year.”

The main issues she sees for the town are infrastructure and economic development.

Nelson said economic development has been a weak point for the town. She noted new efforts to address with help from the Region 9 Economic Development District. A community meeting has been scheduled for April 29.

Matthew Salka

Salka attended Fort Lewis College and has lived in Bayfield since 2000. He is married and has a son at Bayfield Elementary School. He coaches soccer with the town parks and recreation program. He operates two local businesses – Absolute Rodent Control and Absolute Computer Solutions.

He is running for the board because, “I am 34; I want to bring in some young blood, new ideas, be more involved in the community.”

He didn’t single out any town issues needing to be addressed. “I just started,” he said. “I can at least be there to make sure things are done correctly.”

Salka said when he was growing up, his father was in the Navy, “so I moved every three years. This is finally a place I can call home.”

John Turgeon

Turgeon has lived in Bayfield since the early 1980s. He and his wife now live in Sunrise Estates. He is on the subdivision HOA board. He grew up in Bayfield and went to Bayfield High School. A sister and brother also live in Bayfield.

He works for the County Road and Bridge Department for the Bayfield area. He’s had that job for about eight years.

He said he is running “because I need to get more involved.” He also wants to have more input on development.

On town issues, Turgeon said, “I’d like to see more things for the children, be more proactive with them, give them a safe place to go; more of a rec center, where they can be watched over and have adult supervision.”

He added, “I’d like more money for the Marshal’s Office to keep the community safe and drug-free” and for deputy training.

J.J. Sanders

Sanders has lived in Bayfield since 1988 and is retired from working for Lucent Technologies in Oklahoma City. He serves on the town Planning Commission and has been chairman since Nelson was appointed to the Town Board. He has been one of the few regular attendees at Town Board meetings.

He is running for the board “because I’m frustrated with the (Town Board) thinking about all their financials, the amount of expenditures for this small town. I want to try to change that thinking. I’m going to be very active and very vocal.”

Sanders cited Town Board budget discussions last fall, “all these PR gestures, handouts, thousands of dollars, and we can’t give $1,000 to the Family Center. What was going on?”

He said if other trustees want his vote, they’ll need to change his mind. “I’m going to change theirs,” he said. He urged residents to vote, calling it a moral issue for the town.