Peisch points to her record of community service, dating back more than 20 years as a member of the Wellesley Advisory Committee and School Committee, as town clerk, and as state representative since 2002, as the reason why voters should return her to Beacon Hill.

“I have a really good understanding of what is important to this community,” she said.

As House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Education, Peisch said, she is in a position to help shape state education policy, keeping in mind that what is good for one district may not work in another.

Although Massachusetts was not hurt as badly by the economic downturn as other states, Peisch said the state’s economy “is still not where we’d like it to be,” and economic development is foremost in the minds of many voters.

Carr, a wetlands scientist, certified professional hydrologist, and president of Carr Research Laboratory Inc. in Wellesley, said he is running on one issue: replacing the Wetland Protection Act with legislation he has written.

“The problem with the existing law is it’s a protection act only,” Carr said.

This means in Massachusetts, it’s illegal to “enhance any wetland, add a pond inside a wetland or use any new science to more accurately map the limits of a wetland,” Carr wrote in material about his proposed legislation.

Legislators have to “stop saying don’t, don’t, don’t,” he said. “It’s easy to give back better wetlands.”

He said his proposal could allow construction on land that would not be buildable under current law, a change that would have a ripple effect throughout the state.

“This could be key to rebooting the economy,” he said.