DEERFIELD — The May 5 town election will see a rematch of 2022’s race, as Selectboard Chair Tim Hilchey faces a challenge from former Selectboard member David Wolfram for a three-year term.

With difficult economic times on the horizon, the two candidates are running on platforms of fiscal responsibility while touting their ability to work with fellow board members and town staff. Every other race on the ballot is uncontested.

The polls will be open at Town Hall, 8 Conway St, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tim Hilchey

Hilchey, 66, is running to retain his seat on the board with plans to save residents money on their tax bills, while continuing to grow the community in a balanced way.

He said his goal is to carry on projects that have been started in recent years by leveraging state and federal grants to ensure taxpayers are not affected. Hilchey pointed to the Leary Lot’s $2.46 million grant, the $4 million congressional earmark he applied for to fund the 1888 Building, and the $1.58 million in state storm damage relief he and other Selectboard members campaigned for in 2023.

“I’ve fostered teamwork and helped seek and deliver state and federal dollars. … What you do is you build teams and you set priorities and then you go after them until you get them done,” Hilchey said. “None of these projects caused real estate taxes to rise because we found outside money to pay for them.”

He singled out the Leary Lot as his biggest accomplishment because “it’s already drawing people into town from the highway, adding dollars to the local economy.” During these efforts, Hilchey said one of his greatest abilities has been to connect with people, including with legislators, as he served as the board’s “de facto grant writer” before the town hired a planner.

Hilchey said he has two major projects in mind if he is reelected: finish off the 1888 Building rehabilitation, which he has led for the last two years, and ensure the $23 million-plus reconstruction of Stillwater Bridge remains on the state’s list.

“I see [the 1888 Building] as a twofer: We move our town administrative team into modern municipal offices — hopefully next year — and then the empty Deerfield Town Hall would be available to bring all senior programs together under one roof while we work toward the senior center of the future,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a new building, but it would be in one place while we work to get the senior center the residents of the three towns have said they are interested in pursuing.”

In closing, Hilchey said he has worked well with fellow Selectboard members Trevor McDaniel and Blake Gilmore, the latter of whom won a tight race in Deerfield’s highest-turnout election in more than a decade last year.

“We’ve been an effective team on the Selectboard. Blake and I have voted the same way on every budgetary issue that has come up in the 12 months he’s been on the board,” Hilchey said. “So if you voted for Blake because he was going to save you money on taxes, you should vote for me.”

David Wolfram

Wolfram, 73, is running to reclaim the Selectboard seat he lost three years ago on a platform of responsible spending and with two marquee project proposals: move the South County Senior Center into the South Deerfield Congregational Church and create a dumping station for septic users at the South Deerfield Wastewater Treatment Plant.

With Tilton Library’s debt service coming online in fiscal year 2026, resulting in a higher tax bill, Wolfram said the town needs to take a look at the projects it is undertaking and assess what is necessary.

“It’s the balance of needs and wants, making sure that we’re fulfilling all the needs that the town has and looking at what the wants are and to see what we can do to make those things happen, but being fiscally responsible to get them done,” Wolfram said. “We have to go about it methodically. We have to look at the capital expenditures, what the town is spending on equipment for the Highway Department. We have to make sure we are maintaining our schools.

“The taxpayers can’t take much more burden than they get right now,” Wolfram continued. “Young people can’t afford to come into town and, in some cases, we’re taxing the older folks out of their homes.”

For his two project proposals, Wolfram said he has a different vision for the South County Senior Center, as he wants to see the center — based in Sunderland but also using Whately Town Hall — under one roof again by using the South Deerfield Congregational Church as a temporary home while plans are fleshed out. The church’s function hall was renovated in 2024 to serve as a short-term space for Tilton Library.

In regard to a dumping program for septic systems at the South Deerfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wolfram said it’s a chance to throw a bone to the septic users in town. Currently, 75% of sewer fees are covered by users and 25% is delegated to all town residents. Instead of sending their waste to Montague or another town, Wolfram said those septic users could save a little money if Deerfield could handle the waste at its new plant, which could also generate revenue.

Finally, Wolfram said he is running for election to bring more unity to a town that has seen fractures develop in recent years. He added he is somebody who is level-headed and can “talk to both sides.”

“I just felt that the town was getting split wide open. … It’s to the point that there’s some factions, on both sides, that don’t even want to talk to each other and it’s ridiculous,” he said. “You’ve got to work for everybody. I’m not here on my own agenda, I’m here on the town’s agenda.”

Candidate forum on Friday

In an effort to bring the two candidates together and inspire respectful discourse, Hilchey and Wolfram have agreed to a forum where they will answer questions generated by an independent group of citizens. The forum will be held Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the South Deerfield Polish American Citizens’ Club, 46 South Main St. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

“The purpose for this is for people to come, get educated and meet both candidates in a civil, respectful discourse,” said Rita Detweiler, one of the residents organizing the event. “We’re trying to foster a spirit of cohesiveness. There’s more that unites us than divides.”

The uncontested candidates on the ballot are as follows:

■Board of Assessors, three-year term — Frank Leone Jr., incumbent.

■Constable, three-year term — Sharyn Paciorek, incumbent.

■Deerfield Elementary School Committee, two seats with three-year terms — Anne Curtis and Carey Etchells, both incumbents.

■Elector Under the Oliver Smith Will, one-year term — Jason Heffner.

■Frontier Regional School Committee, three-year term — Damien Fosnot, incumbent.

■Planning Board, two three-year terms — Emily Gaylord and Kathleen Watroba, both incumbents.

■Tilton Library trustee, three-year term — Kathleen O’Rourke, incumbent.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.