Three candidates are running in a special election Tuesday to fill a vacant Maine House of Representatives seat that covers part of Gorham and part of Scarborough.

Democrat James Boyle, independent Suzanne Phillips and Republican Timothy Thorsen are all running for the House District 27 seat. The seat became vacant in October when Rep. Kyle Bailey (D-Gorham) stepped down because of a new job.

The winner will not change the make-up of the House, which currently has 81 Democrats, 65 Republicans, three independents and two vacancies. The other vacancy is in House District 145, which covers several Aroostook County towns and two towns in Penobscot County. Rep. Chris Johansen (R-Monticello) resigned in November following the death of his wife.

Boyle, 63, is a former Maine state senator who served from 2012-2014.

“I have the background and the experience both at the Legislature and as a small business owner,” he said.

An environmental scientist, Boyle said his biggest concern is climate change. He is a board member of the Efficiency Maine Trust, which provides rebates for Mainers to encourage weatherization, heat pumps, electric vehicles and other renewables.

Thorsen, 62, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, said he wants to serve in the Legislature because of his interest in education, the economy and energy.

“The largest long-term issue is our children’s education and their schooling,” he said. “I would also like to see increased emphasis on vocational education. There are trades here hurting for people.”

Phillips, 45, is a Gorham native who decided to get involved because she believes she can serve as a connection between town government and the state Legislature. A town council member for three terms and a school committee member for one term, she said she’d like to find a way to stabilize school funding and plan for school expansions.

“It’s really great to be able to give back to Gorham,” she said. “It’s a great community.”

Although she didn’t campaign door-to-door because of COVID-19 and the holidays, she said she’s heard from residents that they are concerned about the price of electricity. As a municipal official, she wants to make sure local cities and towns get the funding they need to implement state mandates, she said.

Phillips has an education degree from the University of Southern Maine, has run large daycares in the area and worked as a nanny. In addition to her service in elective office, she is president of the local historical society.

She said she’s not affiliated with any political party because she wants to make decisions based on principles.

“I’m not going to vote on things because of party politics,” she said.

For his part, Boyle said he’s hoping to serve on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee if he wins the election. He supports legislation to further investigate where the chemical PFAS can be found and reforms to the state’s child welfare system.

While going door-to-door to campaign, Boyle said he’s had a chance to alert residents to the unusual January election. He said he’s hearing concerns about the pandemic, jobs, the economy and schools.

As a father and grandfather, Boyle said he wants to help protect Maine’s environment for future generations. He describes himself as a moderate who has earned endorsements from Gov. Janet Mills, the AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood and the Maine People’s Alliance.

“America is polarized right now and I want to be one of the people who brings them together,” he said.

Thorsen, who works at a Sanford manufacturing company as a project manager, moved to Maine in 2012 after retiring from the military. He served in the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, Iraq and in Operation Enduring Freedom. After being interested in politics for the last several years, he’s ready to step up and serve.

He said although it’s easy to feel discouraged about the national discourse, he thinks there are a lot of areas of agreement.

“Have faith, have hope, be confident, stand up and make your voice heard,” he said.

In Gorham, the district covers wards 1-1 and 1-2. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Gorham Middle School for voters in Ward 1-1 and Great Falls Elementary School for those in Ward 1-2, according to the town website.

In Scarborough, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Town Hall on U.S. Route 1. To find out if you live in House 27, visit the town website, which lists all the streets covered by the district.