Lyme ― In an otherwise quiet election season described by some as an example of polite cooperation and by others as a subversion of the democratic process, only the school board race stands out as contested.

A war of words in the newspaper opinion pages has emerged over allegations of an “anti-democratic movement” in town resulting in non-competitive races going back several election cycles. Those defending the status quo cite polite cooperation between the two major parties, while critics like resident Stephen Gencarella say officials “are cooperating to take choice away from voters.”

First Selectman David Lahm, 63, is running uncontested. He was appointed upon Democrat Steven Mattson’s mid-term retirement last summer.

Democratic Selectmen John Kiker and Kristina White are also unopposed this time around, though White is running as a petitioning candidate because state election law precludes the major parties from putting up more than one candidate for the two selectman seats in town.

Lahm, who has expressed satisfaction with the current Board of Selectpeople and as Republican Town Committee chairman, declined to “run people just to run people,” said this past week that residents are the ultimate arbiters of how things are run in Lyme.

“Democracy is alive and well in Lyme,” he said. “Regardless of who sits in this chair, the real legislative body is the people.”

He pointed to the town budget meeting two years ago when more than 200 people came out to reverse a Board of Finance decision that would have lowered the $1 million target for the town’s open space fund and reduced that year’s contribution from $479,000 to $75,000.

“I was really happy to see the people turn out for a cause they believe in,” he said.

Lahm served for almost 20 years as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. A former volunteer firefighter, he said he began serving the town at age 16 as part of the Lyme Fire Company. He is an attorney, a veteran of the U.S. Army and a reservist who retired as a full colonel with the Connecticut National Guard in 2012. He is married with three adult children.

He said the most pressing issues in his upcoming term will revolve around finding a new service provider to deal with trash before the town’s contract with the beleaguered Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) expires in 2027. Keeping the tax rate low and figuring out how to increase affordable housing options in town round out his list of key priorities.

Kiker, a six-year selectman who also serves as the Democratic Town Committee chairman, described the lack of competition as “a reflection of the reality of life in a small town.”

“There’s a small pool of residents to pull from and that pool gets even smaller once you start trying to recruit people with specific qualifications and expertise who have the time and the willingness to serve,” he said. He pointed to efforts including volunteer fairs and multiple communications emphasizing the need for people to run for boards and commissions.

Kiker is also an incumbent candidate for the Library Board of Directors. He serves on the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee, the Lyme Sustainable Committee, the Board of Assessment Appeals and the Pension Advisory Committee.

“We’re committed to working hard to deepen our bench of potential candidates,” he said of the Democrats.

Kiker, 64, is a marketing communications consultant working with public health nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, New York and California. He lives in town with his spouse.

Both Kiker and White cited the town’s latest revision of its Plan of Conservation and Development as the biggest task facing officials in the upcoming term. State law requires the foundational planning document to be updated every 10 years. The Planning and Zoning Commission is creating a survey to assess how residents want to see the town evolve over the next decade.

White, 56, is the executive director of the Lyme Land Trust with experience in both corporate and nonprofit administration.

“It will be very important for all our townspeople to answer the survey with critical feedback on how to address our lack of affordable housing,” she said.

White is an incumbent candidate for the Planning and Zoning Commission, which she said is working closely with the Affordable Housing Commission to find solutions that will work for the town.

White reiterated there’s not a large pool of residents in the small town willing and able to volunteer as part of the town government.

“I believe that the fact that there are uncontested races for positions in government is because the people of Lyme are pleased with the way it is being run,” she said. “If they were not happy, I would expect more contested races.”

The Board of Education race comes in as the only competitive race this election seasons. It pits newcomer Gavin Lodge, a Democrat, against incumbent Republican Mary Powell-St. Louis.

Powell-St. Louis was critical in an interview of the move by the Democrats to run a candidate for her seat this year.

She cited an informal “gentleman’s agreement” she said typically ensures one Democrat and one Republican from Lyme will be on the school board at any given time.

But Lodge said “the idea of having open-minded exchange is important.”

e.regan@theday.com