A pair of PILOT Study Committee members joined selectmen Chairman Dennis Giombetti last week in pulling nomination papers for two seats on the board in the town's annual election.

Lanewood Avenue resident Bob Berman and Carter Drive resident Laurie Lee, who were on opposite sides of the study committee report when it was released in May 2006, now are set to square off for a seat on the elected board.

The four minority members of the 10-member committee, including Berman, criticized the majority report, compiled by Lee, for tying social services to crime, higher education costs and sluggish home values, saying the data failed to prove a direct link. The Payment In Lieu of Taxes committee was set up to evaluate non-profit agencies and their impact on the town.

The committee's reports are sure to be major components of this election season, especially in light of the federal lawsuit filed last month by SMOC against a dozen town officials charging them with discrimination against disabled people. Giombetti and Lee were named as defendants in the case.

Lee, 53, isn't sure how she'll handle questions about the lawsuit, saying she has to talk to her lawyer about it before hitting the campaign trail. She said she decided to run for the board in September, before the lawsuit, but remains committed to the endeavor despite being somewhat compromised now.

In addition to her work on the PILOT committee (highlighted on her Web site at www.laurielee.org), Lee was also a member of the citizen advisory committee to the group that crafted a townwide housing plan. She is a Precinct 1 Town Meeting member and member of the Community Development Committee and Economic and Industrial Development Corporation.

"I feel like I can contribute as a selectman," said Lee. "I think I've gotten a lot of results."

Berman, 40, expects to decide in the next week or two whether he will run for selectman, although he already has a Web site (www.bobberman.com) that says he is running for the board. Berman said that site was originally used to post family news and photos.

As a parent of a first-grader and preschooler, and owner of a small home-based computer consulting business, Berman wonders if he'll have enough time to return to public service. He is a former Town Meeting member.

He expects the SMOC lawsuit to be joined by debate about social services and economic development on the campaign trail.

Selectman John Stasik will not run for a second term on the board, meaning there will be at least one new member on the five-member panel after the election on April 1.

All potential candidates have until Jan. 15 to submit nomination papers for townwide offices with signatures from 50 registered voters to Town Clerk Valerie Mulvey's office.

Other incumbents who have pulled nomination papers for re-election since they became available Monday include Mulvey, Moderator Joel Winett, School Committee Chairman Phil Dinsky, Housing Authority member Phyllis May and Edgell Grove Cemetery Trustee William Welch.

Others up for re-election include School Committee members David Miles and Diane Throop; Library Trustees Danielle Green Barney, Kurt Samuelson, Marjorie Sisitsky and Joanne Thompson; Keefe Tech School Committee members A.J. Mulvey and Michael Rossi; and Planning Board Chairwoman Ann Welles.

(Craig MacCormack can be reached at or .)