DAYTON — Dan Gay and Ryan Sommer are vying for a selectman seat vacated by Ted Poirier. Residents can vote for their choice on June 10 at the Dayton Municipal Building. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ӣ Gay, 43, is married with two children. He is the owner of Pumpkin World, producing wholesale pumpkins and winter squash, and is also a sod farmer.

Gay has served on the town budget committee for about 10 years and is currently the chairman. He said his experience on the budget committee makes him a good candidate for selectman.

Outgoing selectman Poirier has endorsed Gay, and the candidate said he and Poirier think very similarly on budget and fiscal issues.

Gay said he thinks the top three priorities in town are education, the fire department and road maintenance. He said he would like to see more money spent on roads and improvements, though he doesn’t think that’s feasible on the short term. Dayton, being a small town, has a limited tax base, and spending needs to be done “cautiously and carefully,” said Gay.

Gay said the school board has been put in “a tough spot” and is doing the best of its ability, but as a new district, the town is going to have to take “a big hit” financially. He attends every school board meeting and said he believes there are some start-up costs for the school that it won’t have to pay next year, and once the school district has a full year behind it, the state allocation may increase as the state will have more data on which to base its allotment for the town.

Gay said he also regularly attends fire commission meetings and is supportive of the fire department.

Ӣ Sommer, 38, is married with three children and is expecting another. He is the executive director of the North Conway Community Center.

“I run a very shoestring budget (at the center),” said Sommer, who also noted that he is a fiscal conservative.

He is president of the Parks and Recreation Committee and secretary of the Dayton Little League.

Sommer said he’s always enjoyed politics and believes in giving back to his town. He believes his job experience and background will bring a new perspective, he said, and he wants to change the dynamics of the town and help create a better community.

He said he wants to replace aging playground structures in town recreation fields, and add more recreational programs and activities. He said he also wants to get more young people involved in government and see more transparency in local government.

Sommer said the town has a sizable undesignated fund and should explore using some of the funds to offset tax increases.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.