Field of applicants for 2 open Meredith Selectboard seats grows to 6

MEREDITH — Former selectmen Miller Lovett and local activist Rosemary Landry yesterday applied for the two open seats on the Board of Selectmen, increasing the field of applicants to six when the deadline for applications passed yesterday.

The three elected members of the board are expected to interview the candidates and make the appointments when they meet on Monday, April 13.

A retired university teacher and minister, Lovett served two terms on the selectboard from 2006 to 2012 and was a trustee of the trust funds from 2003 to 2006 and has been a member of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Committee since 2004. He has been a director of the greater Meredith Program since 2002.

One of eight children of Irish immigrants and a mother of three with 11 grandchildren. Landry believes her experience in the home and on the job, where she served as both a nurse and paralegal has prepared her to manage the business responsibly and efficiently. With 260 votes, Landry finished fourth in the field of eight seeking two seats on the selectboard in March.

Michael Pelczar, Jonathan James and David Bennett, who came third, fifth and seventh respectively in the election in March applied earlier along with Alfio Torrisi, who moved to town last year

A fourth-generation contractor, Pelczar owns and operates Inter-Lakes Builders Inc., which constructs custom homes. Born and raised in Meredith, he described himself as "a regular Joe" who seeks to perpetuate the character of the community.

James, came to Meredith as a 14-year-old. He served in the Coast Guard, worked as a home builder as well as a facilities manager at Freudenberg NOK and the Spaulding Youth Center, and most recently was director of buildings, grounds, housekeeping and security at the Tilton School. In Meredith he has served on the now defunct Water Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment as well as a trustee of the trust funds.

Like Pelczar, Bennett is a longtime resident of Meredith with deep roots in the town. A member of the first graduating class of the vocational technical center in Laconia, he has spent his life building, repairing and racing automobiles and motorcycles. He managed parts departments at local dealerships in the 1970s before opening his own garage and later worked at Meredith (now Laconia) Harley-Davidson. Torrisi, who recently moved to Meredith from Pelham, is an electrical inspector for the state of New Hampshire who applied in order to contribute to the civic life of his new community.