The race for two seats on the Buxton Board of Selectmen is more crowded than it’s been in years, with six candidates returning nomination papers by the deadline Monday, after nine residents took them out.

“I don’t ever remember six candidates,” Buxton Town Clerk John Myers said. “Never have nine taken out papers.”

Among the candidates vying for the seats are two incumbents – Dan Collomy and Carol Sanborn. They are being challenged by Peter Burns, Wanda Emery, Linda W. Pulsoni and Mark A. Smith Sr. for the pair of three-year terms.

Voters will get to pick their favorite candidates June 12. They will also decide the fate of three referendum items – borrowing $1.8 million for a new public works garage, spending $15,000 a year to pay a portion of the salary for a professional planner the town would share with neighboring communities, and spending $150,000 to restore Buxton’s former town hall in Buxton Center.

On that day, residents will also vote on the school budget, along with other towns in School Administrative District 6.

Jake Clockedile, a temporary business manager at SAD 6, said Wednesday the proposed budget is $38.9 million, a 4.38 percent increase over the current budget of $37.2 million.

Residents will vote on the town budget four days later, June 16, at the town meeting.

After the 4:30 p.m. deadline for submitting nomination papers had passed at town hall, Peter Burns and Carol Sanborn both declined to comment on the crowded race for the board of selectmen.

“Sometimes that speaks volumes,” Sanborn added later about not offering a comment.

Nine took out nomination papers for the two seats, but three – Dennis Santolucito, Cheryl Emery and David Harmon – didn’t return them to the Town Clerk’s office.

Collomy is current chairman of the board; Burns chairs the budget committee; Wanda Emery has served on the planning board; and Myers said Pulsoni is wife of Buxton police officer Frank Pulsoni. The other challenger is Smith, who couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Karen Connary, an incumbent director of SAD 6, is running unopposed for a three-year term.

For the planning board, two candidates, Keith Emery and Harry Kavouksorian, submitted papers for three-year terms with three seats available. Keith Emery is the planning board chairman. Wanda Emery had taken out papers but didn’t submit them. Jeremiah Ross filed papers for an available two-year planning board term. Planning board incumbents Santolucito and Caroline F. Segalla didn’t submit nomination papers for the open one-year term.

Incumbents Nicholas Pinkham and Sheridan Bennett filed papers seeking reelection to three-year terms with four seats available. Christopher Willey didn’t submit papers.

No candidates filed for the personnel review committee.