NORWICH — At least two residents have expressed interest in an open Selectboard seat that is set to be filled next week.

Selectboard chairman Roger Arnold said Tuesday that a pair of applications had been submitted. The deadline to apply was 3 p.m. Thursday.

Candidates who got their application in on time will be interviewed at the Selectboard meeting next Wednesday. The board is expected to make an appointment that same night.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Claudette Brochu on July 11.

At the Selectboard meeting on July 13, members discussed the qualities the person who will be appointed to the position should have.

While some suggested turning to an experienced choice, such as a former board members who might be willing to step up, board member Marcia Calloway encouraged her colleagues to choose someone who hasn’t served on the board before.

She pointed out the mood in town and the need for transparency.

“We need to have more viewpoints, new blood,” Calloway said. “We need people in town to feel like they have a say.”

Vice chairwoman Mary Layton agreed about the mood in town, saying the board needed to cast as wide a net as possible.

“I’m concerned about how worried people are in town,” Layton said. “People are feeling as though their town is falling apart.”

On Tuesday, Arnold said the board should focus on appointing the best applicant for the job.

“Ultimately, the statutory requirement of the board is to make an appointment when there is a vacancy,” Arnold said. “Obviously, I hope the board would use their best judgment and thoughtful consideration as to what applicant would best serve Norwich at this moment.”

Whoever is appointed will serve until Town Meeting in March, when an election will be held to choose the person who will serve out the remainder of the term, which expires in March 2024.

On Thursday evening, Town Manager Rod Francis declined to name the applicants. However, one could be resident Pam Smith.

Smith, who has twice run unsuccessfully for a seat on the Selectboard, expressed her interest in a letter to Arnold she posted on the Norwich Listserv.

In the letter, Smith said she has attended all the Selectboard meetings the past several years and is knowledgeable about the issues facing the town.

At the July 13 meeting where the board discussed the open seats, residents in attendance suggested Smith might be the best choice, if she was interested.

“She would provide somebody who not only expressed interest but somebody who has been very aware and very knowledgeable about what is going on around town,” said Stuart Richards.

Demo Sofronas agreed.

“I’ve been around for a while,” Sofronas said. “I agree that Pam Smith, in a way, has paid her dues. She’s run quite a few times and had quite a few voters vote for her.”

Smith has been critical of the Selectboard in the past. She was one of four appointed members of the Finance Committee who resigned in 2021 saying the Selectboard members didn’t heed their advice.

Darren Marcy can be reached at dmarcy@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.