MIDDLEBORO — Teresa Farley considers a seat on the select board as a natural continuation of her commitment to volunteerism and making a difference in Middleboro.

“Volunteering is extremely important,’’ she said. And even though the select board serves as the ultimate governing body in town, select board members are unpaid and so still serve as volunteers, she noted.

“That’s how I was raised,’’ she said. “You do what you can for your family and your community.’’

Farley has served the town in a variety of capacities, including parent-teacher association and Little League boards and, perhaps most notably, a term on the School Committee.

Running for select board is “the culmination of all the things I’ve done in Middleboro. It’s time for me to try something new,” she said. 

A major concern, she said, is increasing the tax base so that the entire financial burden does not fall on the taxpayer. “We need a commercial base,’’ she said.

Farley said she has experience with budgeting in several capacities, including developing and overseeing the budget for Camp Yomechas in Middleboro. She also served on the Finance Committee. 

She said the school department needs more transparency in its budget process and needs to be more accountable to the community.

When she was on the School Committee, Farley cast the sole vote against hiring Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Lyons, saying that other candidates should have been vetted before a final decision was made. Farley has also criticized Lyons’ performance as superintendent. 

The well-being of young people is another major issue for her. She said she would like to work with Parks Department Head Fran Cass to initiate more programs for young people, with a particular focus on youth in the pre-teen and young teen ages, who are not yet old enough to work and need to have healthy options to fill their time. 

“I want to make sure we’re doing right by our kids,’’ she said. “You do that by supporting them. Today’s youth will run the town in 10, 15, 20 years.’’

Part of the role of select board, where some discussions have grown heated over the years, is “how you maintain relationships. How you speak to people and how they speak to you.”

But she also welcomes diverse opinions and approaches. Votes, she said, “should never be constantly 5-0.’’ 

She recognizes that she is “only one vote. I will say my piece, I will always listen, I will vote for what’s best for the town.’’

She does not want a contentious race, she said. “The people will speak,’’ she said. “If I’m elected, I will do my best. If Jane wins, I wish her well.’’

No matter what happens, she hopes the town remains a place where people “take care of our own,’’ which she said she observed in the support offered to the families of Dylan Levesque, who was struck and killed by a car last year, and Jasmine Lane, who died in a fire in February.

“Middleboro is a great community and I love it and I want it to stay that way.’’