SPRINGFIELD - The Republican primary Tuesday will be the first test incumbent town of Springfield supervisor Thomas A. Armstrong will face in his bid for re-election to an eighth term in office.

Challenger Allan W. Ulrich is also seeking the Republican nomination, but both Ulrich and Armstrong filed independent nominating petitions in addition to their party petitions. Regardless of the outcome in the primary, both parties will be on the ballot in November.

Armstrong, 78, has lived in Springfield Center all his life. He graduated from Springfield Central School and is married with five kids, ages 42 to 50. He has owned his own machinery, farming and hardware and appliance store for 18 years.

First elected in 1991, Armstrong has served seven two-year terms as the town supervisor. He said there aren't any major issues facing the town today and that maintaining things on a steady course was his primary focus.

"I think everything is going fairly well as far as the town is concerned," Armstrong said. He said his years of experience as supervisor and work with farmers qualifies him to handle the job for another term.

"I know what the farmers like and what the businesses like. I know what's going on locally because I've participated in it all my life," he said.

In response to some of the criticism he's heard about his handling of the town's finances, he said none of it was true.

"The main thing was we had a private audit and the finances came out perfect and the other things were corrected. I can prove everything," he said.

Armstrong declined to have his photo taken for the article.

Ulrich, 77, resides in East Springfield and has lived there since the early 1970s. He's married and has five kids.

He entered the Navy in 1945 and served for 27 years as a lieutenant meteorologist. Paid for by the military, he went to college and received a degree in accounting and economics from the University of Nebraska. Since retiring from the Navy in 1973, he's worked as a "not-for-profit money manager" in the area, helping people to learn basic financial skills, such as how to invest and how to stay ahead with their budget.

He said the major issue facing the town of Springfield today is its lack of fiscal credibility.

"I feel the town needs a little extra help right now," Ulrich said. "There's room for improvement and it's really in the management and fiscal field. They're not doing their finances the way they should be done" He said his well-rounded academic career and work in the Navy and as a money manager taught him the necessary skills for being the town supervisor. He also sits on the board of assessment review, a grievance board which meets once a year.

Ulrich's primary goal if elected is to straighten out the town's financial situation. To that end, he's offered to forgo his salary as a supervisor and give that money back to the village.

"I thought it would be a nice gesture," he said. Another of his objectives is to be more open to outside input. Ulrich said he'd like to set aside time for the public to come in and chat with him about what's going on in the town.

"It still goes back to leadership and command," he said. "You have to manage people, not only the finances."

The Republican primary election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 13, from noon to 9 p.m.

Party members in district one vote at the firehouse on highway 20 in East Springfield and members in district 2 vote at the community center on county highway 29A in Springfield Center.