COLRAIN — The Griswold Memorial Library will host a candidate’s night on Wednesday, April 27, allowing candidates vying for contested Selectboard and town clerk positions to share their ideas with residents.

The event, which will start at 6 p.m., has been hosted by the library’s board of trustees ahead of town elections for several years, according to Griswold Memorial Library Director Chelsea Jordan-Makely.

“It’s an opportunity for people to get to know everybody and ask questions,” Jordan-Makely said.

“We’re all kind of spread out in these little hills. We don’t have an opportunity to get together and learn about who’s running,” explained Nancy Turkle, chair of the library’s board of trustees. “Give our town a chance. By coming to something like this, you can really have some ownership.”

The candidate’s night is also a way to engage the community in local government. Jordan-Makely believes information about the single ballot question, a proposed debt exclusion that would support work at Colrain Central School, will be provided by Town Clerk Eileen Sauvageau and members of the Selectboard. According to the ballot, work would include resurfacing parking lots and certain walkways; brick masonry repairs and repointing; and other capital projects designed to “extend the useful life of the school.”

“Information is always one of our main reasons for being here for folks,” Jordan-Makely said. “We would love to see a great turnout.”

Residents will hear from incumbent Joseph Kurland and challenger Benjamin Eastman, running for one seat on the Selectboard, and Dorian Pariseau, Jennifer Smith and Anna Lavarreda, who are running for town clerk. Unopposed elections include Betsy Browning and Martin Lydgate-Driggs for library trustee and John Chivers for a Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee position. There is nobody on the ballot for constable or assessor vacancies.

Given Colrain residents’ limited internet access, it wasn’t possible to hold remote candidate forums on Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity to meet in person, and stream the event live on Facebook, is a return to the tradition of years past.

“We really miss that. It makes a big difference to have a chance to talk to people,” Turkle said.

At 7 p.m., the night will conclude with a moment of silence and a song to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The event, “provides an opportunity for the town to observe that,” Jordan-Makely said.

Residents can submit questions for the candidates in advance by emailing griswoldmemoriallibrary@gmail.com.

Colrain’s election will be held May 3.