Three Republican candidates will compete for one six-year term on the Forward Township board of supervisors in the May 16 primary election.

Newcomers Susan Oliver-Stough and Joseph E. Scherer will run against incumbent Mel Musulin.

The candidate who receives the most votes will proceed to the November ballot. No Democratic candidates are running for the seat.

Incumbent Mel Musulin said he has spent most of his career working for government agencies as a practicing paramedic and ambulance administrator.

He is an itinerant logistics, information technology and communications specialist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving nationally on a Disaster Medical Assistance team.

“I am currently semiretired and working as an independent consultant with public safety agencies on multiple projects,” he said. “My background and successful experiences have prepared me to serve my fellow citizens in Forward Township.”

Musulin is finishing his first six-year term and said the supervisors have accomplished a variety of things during his tenure, including infrastructure improvements and repairs, hiring the municipality’s first township manager, and modifying outdated ordinances to meet current state and federal regulations.

He said the supervisors also recently completed a comprehensive 10-year plan for the township with the assistance of residents.

“This plan is key to our goal to maintain the rural, residential culture of the township and to protect our farming heritage,” Musulin said. “The township is in an excellent financial position.”

Musulin said being chosen as supervisor has been an “honor and a privilege,” and he hopes to continue the board’s work.

“Over the five and a half years I have served with four other people who have always represented all the citizens of Forward Township through a consensus-building process,” he said. “I wish to continue in that capacity.”

If elected, he intends to continue a “forward-looking operation of the township,” making decisions based on due diligence and consideration.

Growth and inflation are chief concerns for the township, according to Musulin, requiring thoughtfully designed ordinances and “creative processes” to manage respectively.

Additionally, he said unfunded federal and state mandates are a major issue affecting residents.

“We need to do our due diligence to create a way to meet those mandates and not create an undue burden on our citizens,” Musulin said. “The biggest issue now is the recent revision of the definition by the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s) Waters of the United States rule that will greatly affect our farming heritage.”

Newcomer Susan Oliver-Stough, a 25-year resident of the township, said she grew up an “Army kid,” moving around Germany and the United States for most of her childhood.

Oliver-Stough holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. She served for 20 years in the Military Police Corps and was an Army public affairs officer, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

“I served our country for 20 years in the U.S. Army, retired as a lieutenant colonel, and I would like to continue my service here in our township,” she said. “I am willing and able to put in the time to work on behalf of the residents of Forward Township, without compensation, and I have no hidden agenda.”

Oliver-Stough owns a small consulting business and has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and with the natural gas industry in the Marcellus Shale.

According to Oliver-Stough, she has more than “40 years of experience and expertise in leadership, government affairs, strategic analysis and planning, budget management, equipment management, communications strategies and planning, and public outreach.”

“My No. 1 goal is to position our township for the future and hand off the stewardship of Forward Township to the next generation,” she said.

One of Oliver-Stough’s primary concerns for the township is growth. If elected, she said she intends to manage this growth “to minimize the tax burden for township residents and protect our rural heritage.”

Additionally, Oliver-Stough said township services are a major concern for residents.

“We need to proactively engage township residents and actively collaborate with surrounding communities as we address resident concerns and desires for such things as emergency services, schools, libraries, and recreation services,” she said.

She identified herself as a “fiscal conservative” who would manage taxpayer money in a responsible, judicious manner.

“Every dollar the township spends is hard-earned by taxpayers and should not be spent with a ‘because we have it’ mentality,” she said. “There is no such thing as ‘free money.’”

Newcomer Joseph E. Scherer is a lifelong resident of the township, growing up on Leisie Road and currently residing on Glade Run Road.

He is a full-time operator and part-time owner of his family’s electrical and outdoor lighting company.

“I am qualified for the role of township supervisor because I have knowledge of where Forward Township came from and would like to be a leader in shaping the future of the township,” he said. “My strongest assets are my down-to-earth interpersonal skills and willingness to hear all sides of a situation before exploring and implementing a solution.”

Scherer said that while he always has been invested in the township community, he was prompted to run by neighbors and peers.

Advocating for the needs of all residents, neighbors and peers would be his No. 1 priority if elected, he said.

“Additionally, my goals would be to maintain the integrity of the rural community while constructing common-sense parameters for land development,” Scherer added.

He said the explosion of residential land development during the last decade is the most-pressing issue facing the township.

“Although I love seeing the community growing and thriving, I feel that township leaders need to ensure that current residents’ needs are being heard and considered,” Scherer said. “If development in the township is going to continue at the current rate, we need to make sure that the neighborhoods being built are well-designed and maintained.”

While he does not want to see more regulation, he said land developers should be held accountable for sustainability — including stormwater management and road maintenance.

“Although zoning ordinances may not be the most popular idea at first consideration, minimal and straightforward zoning may minimize future issues brought on by the continued development and may provide a guideline for developing commercial infrastructure within the township,” he said.