It's not a great year to be sitting on the Bedford County Board of Supervisors.

In coming months, the board will attempt to set a tax rate that doesn't send constituents to voting booths in a rage in November, while bringing in enough money to pay for the renovation of Jefferson Forest High School and upcoming school construction projects necessitated by aging buildings and rampant growth.

And yet 12 residents have applied to be appointed to the District 6 seat. The winning candidate will replace Bobby Pollard, who died Jan. 18 in a tractor accident.

The board will hold closed meetings to interview and select an appointee today, Thursday and Monday.

Andy Dooley, who retired as the county's recreation director in 2002, applied to be considered knowing he'd face some controversial issues and possibly a brief tenure. The seat will be up for election in November.

"I waited almost to the last day," he said.

"Whoever gets this is going to have their plate pretty full," said Daniel Temeles, who also applied for consideration.

Appointees to the board have had trouble in recent general elections. Glenn Ayers was appointed in 2003 when the Moneta seat was vacated by Kirby Richardson, but his opponent Chuck Neudorfer won the 2004 election.

In 1990, Dale Wheeler defeated Wes Gordon, who had been appointed to the seat months earlier when Pollard moved to Atlanta for a time.

Ron Smith, a former building commissioner for the city of Roanoke who served on the Bedford County Planning Commission from 1986 to 1990 and 1992 to 1994, said he applied for the open seat after being approached by local Republicans.

"I'm very fond of the county," the 60-year-old said. "If I can have a part of its future, I think that'll be great."

Smith, who's lived in Bedford County his entire life, said that if elected, he'll try to set the property tax rate so that it doesn't put excessive pressure on constituents.

Dooley, 58, who worked for the city and/or county of Bedford for 30 years, is interested in directing new residential development toward selected growth areas in the county, while preserving as much open land as possible.

"Bobby was a good friend," Dooley said of Pollard. "Bobby did a lot of good things. He and I think a lot alike."

Temeles, a 49-year-old oncologist, moved from Botetourt County eight years ago because Botetourt had grown so much he could no longer take a tractor down the road without fearing for his life.

He doesn't want to see the same thing happen in the Bedford area.

Temeles filled out an application after several residents asked him to.

"I'm used to doing things for people," he said. "I do it every day."

Temeles has been active with Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation. He also wants to see "sensible growth" in the county.

The other applicants are: James Carter, Robert Davis, Christine Davis, Thomas Dooley, Ricardo Fuciarelli, George Hoover, Kimberly McCabe, Charles Millican and Pamela Willoughby.

Wheeler said the supervisors will ask every candidate the same questions.

"I applaud anybody who throws their hat in this type of ring," he said. "In many ways it's much more unnerving to appear before six seated supervisors and ask for an appointment."