A small army of political candidates is out knocking on doors, waving to motorists and shaking hands with shoppers for an election that will put Bel Air's town commission back in business.

Eleven candidates, including a sprinkling of lawyers, a car dealer, an architect, a former county planner and a past mayor, are vying for three of the five seats on the Board of Town Commissioners in a special election Tuesday.

They will be replacing two commission members who were elected to other offices in November's general election and another who unexpectedly resigned.

The vacancies have eliminated the quorum necessary for the board to do business since early December, said David E. Carey, one of the commission's two remaining members.

"But this is not like Congress," he said. "Maybe we can't conduct business, but this doesn't mean the streets are not being plowed and the trash is not being picked up."

"Fortunately," he said, "the interruption comes at a time when we are not faced with a lot of pressing business. We have a light agenda for our first meeting after the election."

At that meeting, the commission will vote on a proposal to lower the town's age limit to qualify for senior housing to 55 from 62, to bring it in line with county regulations.

The election will cost the town $3,000 to $4,000, Carey said. "We could have used that money for other things," he said.

Carey said that if there were only two vacancies, the board would have been able to appoint successors. But the three openings required a special election.

"We've had occasional resignations and people elected to higher office before," Carey said. "But I can't remember a time when we didn't have enough for a quorum. I doubt that it has ever happened before."

He said the three candidates with the most votes will be elected. The top vote-getter will finish the term of Robert E. Cassilly, which runs until 2005. Cassilly was elected to the Harford County Council.

Candidates with the second- and third-highest vote count will serve until a new election in November.

About 800 Bel Air residents normally vote in the town commission elections, Carey said.

The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

Joseph H. Brooks

Brooks, a 70-year-old former town commission member, said he didn't expect to run for re-election: "It's just evolved."

He served on the commission from 1993 to 1997, which included a stint as mayor from 1995 to 1997.

"When I heard they lost three members, I thought I could help. I have the background. I have the experience."

He offers voters a printed list of the things that he supports, including a safe place to live, adequate and safe water, high standards for government ethics and morals, and services for senior citizens. But he acknowledges that he doesn't know if these are areas that need improvement.

"We need to do something about the traffic," he said of the congestion on U.S. 1 and Churchville Road. "Maybe we can have the police out directing traffic during rush hour. Maybe we can have electric signs along the roads warning when there is an accident or congestion ahead."

Brooks said rezoning will be an issue for the entire county and in Bel Air. "We have to watch out that businesses" don't move into residential areas, he said. "Nobody wants a gas station across the street from their house," he said.

"But we don't want to put restraints on business," he added. "Business is a strong part of our tax base. It will take a juggling act to keep everybody happy."

Stephen G. Burdette

Burdette, 49, is another former commission member, having served the town from 1994 to 1998.

He is an architect, which by chance played a role in his decision to seek public office. He explained that his participation in a national architecture leadership program last year "encouraged me to be more involved in civic activities. It reinvigorated me."

He said his profession should be an asset to the board, which in the past has been dominated by lawyers. "A mix of professions on the board is a good thing," he said.

Burdette said development will remain a major issue, and he feels he has a good understanding of how it affects communities.

He would like to see new life pumped into Main Street with improved lighting, upgraded and wider sidewalks and benches. "We need to make it more friendly to pedestrians," he said. "I would like to see new storefronts, with canopies, making them friendly to people."

He advocates the construction of a town arts center that can be financed jointly by public funds and fees paid by user groups.

William G. Christoforo

Christoforo is a 50-year-old lawyer who has worked in the Harford County state's attorney's office for 22 years, specializing in prosecuting white-collar crime.

"My biggest concerns are traffic congestion and the growth issue," he said.

"I work on Main Street, in the courthouse, and we need to do something to make it safer for pedestrians. We need sidewalks all the way through town. In some areas, people have to walk on the road.

"At the cross walks on Main Street, people have to run to get across the street. That's a fear of the people who work in Main Street."

He said some people get into their cars to go downtown because it is too dangerous to walk. "That only adds to the traffic congestion."

Christoforo said that, unlike the state, the town is not going through a budget crisis. "But we have to watch the budget closely and make sure the maximum amount of dollars is going to essential services," he said.

Jack T. Feldman

Feldman grew up in a small town in New Jersey.

"I like small towns," said the 51-year-old lawyer. "That's why I moved to Bel Air in 1980."

He has seen a lot of changes over the years, the biggest being the increased number of cars passing through town.

"The first thing Bel Air needs is a study of transportation," said Feldman.

"Traffic congestion is a major problem. I would propose a moratorium on new housing construction until we have adequate roads to handle the traffic."

He would like to see scheduled daily public bus service from Bel Air to Towson. "A lot of people in Bel Air work in the Towson area, and this could help traffic," he said.

"I think we should also have bus service to White Marsh."

He wants Bel Air's limited, around-town bus service expanded to six days a week and to operate longer hours to meet riders' needs.

Feldman is another advocate of a town art center. "It could be used as a bird museum," he said. "It would be like a zoo, but just for birds."

He said the center could be used for school programs, including violin and guitar festivals and as a base for ethnic festivals.

Terence O. Hanley

Hanley wants to bring his enthusiasm, business savvy and strong work ethic to the commission.

"I didn't go to college," said the 38-year-old vice president and co-owner of Bel Air Pontiac. "I grew up working hard. I saw that as the way to get ahead. I worked on a dairy farm, milking cows, before going into the car business."

He started as a salesman at Auto Village in town "and worked like a dog six days a week to get ahead."

Hanley blames the town's traffic congestion on poor planning by city and county officials in the past. "I hate to say it, but there is not much you can do about traffic in a small town. I don't want to destroy neighborhoods by cutting roads through them."

He wants to give police officers a raise. "They are way underpaid," he said. "Some people will say: 'They took the job, and they knew what it paid.'"

The problem with that thinking, he said, "is that the town will have trouble holding onto its police officers. They will take higher-paying jobs with the county sheriff's department or go to Aberdeen.

"I can tell you as a businessman, turnover is expensive. It will cost more to train replacements than to pay the police what they are worth."

James V. McMahan Jr.

McMahan, 64, known as "Captain Jim," has lived in Bel Air most of his life and is vice president and general manager of WAMD radio station in Aberdeen, where he does the morning radio show. He is a life member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and honorary board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County.

A "total newcomer" to politics, McMahan said his background as a radio news reporter has given him perspective on issues. "I have covered the town of Bel Air, the city of Aberdeen and the city of Havre de Grace in my 30 years of news reporting," he said. "When you cover two cities and a town like that, you obviously gain some experience in how local government works."

His main concern is providing the Police Department with adequate training and compensation. "We no longer in Bel Air, or anywhere else here, are isolated from big-city crime. ... I am a strong believer in taking care of those who take care of our town's business."

McMahan said he is a fiscal conservative who wants to see the town budget managed responsibly. He said he is "certainly not in favor of raising taxes," but instead favors looking closely at spending to eliminate waste.

"I'm not so much of a bean counter that I want everyone to start counting paper clips," he said, but saving starts at a "grass-roots" level.

"I am ready to listen and to serve," he said, adding, "I'm giving it all I've got."

Lloyd G. Parker

Parker, 56, has lived in Bel Air since 1968. After 30 years with General Motors in Baltimore, Parker retired and is a part-time mechanic at an auto shop in Bel Air. He is also captain of the Bel Air Auxiliary Police, which provides security at town events, and is an assistant Scoutmaster.

Parker ran for town commissioner in the last election and said he is running again because "I believe I can make a difference and help town government become a little bit better."

His primary issue is police protection. "The Police Department needs to be upgraded pay-wise and needs some new equipment," he said, adding that veteran officers are leaving for better jobs with other agencies. Quality-of-life issues, such as speeding in neighborhoods, also concern to him.

Parker said that since he retired from GM, he has time to devote to the commission. Researching issues and getting out to talk with people are important to him. He said he wants to be part of town government but does not view this job as a "steppingstone" to higher offices.

A conservative, Parker said he got interested in local politics after watching spending at the state level that he disagreed with. He would like to participate in government to help manage taxpayers' money more effectively.

Russell O. Poole

Poole, 66, has lived in Bel Air since 1973. He served on the town commission from 1992 to 1997, after he was appointed to fill a term and was later elected. Poole is a semiretired commercial real estate broker. He works part time as a maintenance manager for an amusement hall in Anne Arundel County.

He sees a vital need for town commissioners to open the lines of communication with county and state lawmakers "to get any kind of funding available from the state or county to improve life here in Bel Air."

"There's no great secret to small-town government," he said. "It's about services for the people ... so those are the things you work for."

With the county public school administration considering new office space for its staff members, who now shuttle between several building in town, he said he would like to work with them to keep the administrative offices in Bel Air.

He pointed to projects he worked on when he was a commissioner, including Bond Street improvements, getting the Rockfield Park project under way and the youth and senior center on McPhail Road, and said his background would be valuable on the board.

"With the five years I spent on the board, I got an insight into how small-town government works and I think I have something to bring to the table," he said, adding that he would be "up and running quickly."

Robert M. Preston

Preston, 53, is a lifelong resident of Bel Air and grandson of the late county school administrator and historian C. Milton Wright. He is president of Preston's Stationery store on South Main Street and a volunteer with the county's historical society.

He has been a member of the town planning commission for 11 years and ran once for town commissioner in the early 1990s. Preston said working with the planning department had given him valuable experience working on large building projects and learning about regulations, historical considerations and environmental laws.

The key issues he sees for the commission are improving downtown parking and higher pay and retention programs in the Police Department. Training costs are high on the Bel Air force because young officers are leaving to take better-paying jobs with other agencies, he said. "We need to at least be in line with other communities our size" on salaries, he said.

He said his planning commission experience has helped him build a base of knowledge about local issues and the community. "I know the people; I know the things that come up," Preston said. "I got to the meetings, and I feel like I'm really up on what's happening in town."

He added that he is accessible and wants to work with the community. "Elected officials need to respond to the residential base," he said.

Janet A. Thomas

Thomas, 52, has lived in Harford County since the early 1950s. A video court reporter who records depositions, Thomas a member of the Majors Choice community association board of directors and the Al Cesky Scholarship Fund Selection Committee. She also is a volunteer with the Horse Council for the Harford County 4-H Club.

She ran for town commissioner in 1999. After learning that the commission had three openings, Thomas said, "I decided that I wanted to take my volunteer work a step further." She added that she grew up in Bel Air and feels a lot of pride about her hometown.

Thomas sees bringing stability to the town Police Department as the top issue. "They need a raise. They work very hard and they provide good service to the community," she said. "With what's going on in the world today, we need to keep veteran officers."

Encouraging Main Street revitalization is another concern. "Sometimes I ride through town and see empty buildings, and I think that's kind of a eyesore," Thomas said, adding that she would like to see a variety of unique shops and restaurants downtown as opposed to chain stores, or a host of one kind of specialty shops.

"I would like to see something more than antiques stores," she said.

But Thomas also wants to manage development so Bel Air's charm is retained.

Joan Morrissey Ward

Ward, 45, feels that her experience as a community planner for the county the past eight years would benefit the commission.

She has ideas for sprucing up Main Street and other some of the other older sections of town to make them places where people would like to go.

"They built The Avenue in White Marsh," she said. "That's a re-creation of Main Street. We have the real thing."

She thinks that zoning changes allowing for taller buildings in town would encourage more commercial development because it would make it easier for a mixed-use project to be profitable.

She would like to see fewer law offices on Main Street and more retail specialty stores, an ice cream shop, a bagel place and a bakery. "I would love to see a movie theater on Main Street," she said.

"I support impact fees on residential development," she said about the charge of $3,000 to $8,000 on each new house in the county to help pay for schools, roads and parks.

"I know some of these are county issues," she said, "but as an elected official of the town, my voice will have more weight than that of Joan Morrissey Ward citizen."