Chris Mixon is running for the seat on the Phippsburg Board of Selectmen that will be vacated by longtime member Everett Perkins.

Mixon will run against Sue Levene, who runs an engineering firm.

The election takes place on May 1 at Phippsburg Town Hall.

Perkins recently announced he is not running for re-election.

Mixon — who is the chairman of Phippsburg’s Town Landings Committee and owns and operates Meadowbrook Campground — said that attending town meetings has helped him see the way Perkins works first hand and has prepared him for the possibility of becoming selectman.

“Everett deals with things in a fair, level-headed way and he has been a great asset to the town,” said Mixon. “I’m not trying to replace him. I don’t really have an agenda. I’m just trying to maintain that levelheadedness, bring in a fiscally conservative point of view and keep common sense coming into this town.”

Mixon said he is proud of Phippsburg’s heritage of “people who don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty,” and said that his biggest goal is “continuing that legacy.”

Mixon pointed to Phippsburg’s low mill rate — a figure used to assess property taxes — as an example of the town’s current good standing.

“We had less than a 9 mill rate this year,” said Mixon. “That’s due to the fact that there are people out there doing all this work for no paycheck. The place is run on volunteers, and they do a great job.”

One of his chief goals if he is voted selectman is getting youth involved in the community, Mixon said.

“One way we can do this is get youth involved in community service, like the fire department,” said Mixon, who has been a volunteer firefighter in Phippsburg for 16 years. “The population around here is aging, and the mission at hand needs to see more youth.”

Mixon said he has been talking to local students about firefighting during Fire Prevention Week the past few years, and wants to continue to to do so.

“It gets kids excited in the community and hopefully involved down the road in some way,” said Mixon.

Mixon also said he will assess the parking situation at Popham Beach if he becomes selectman. Parking at the beach is limited in the summer and causes traffic to build up before the entrance, resulting in an increased police presence that Mixon said puts a strain on the town’s tax dollars.

“There is a plan in place to allow season’s pass holders to skip the line, but there’s no doubt about it that it’s a difficult area,” said Mixon. “I’d be interested to see the plans, see how well they work and see if I can do anything more to help.”

Mixon said that he asks Phippsburg voters for his support, but regardless if that support is for him or his opponent he urges folks to “get involved.”

“This is their town, and as a community people should be getting involved, coming to town meetings and jumping onto committees,” said Mixon.