The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners has narrowed its search for a new board member to five finalists who will be interviewed next week as the town moves closer to filling a vacant seat on the board. Sliwinski is a former town commissioner who received more than a thousand votes in November’s election, but fell short of retaining his seat on the board. Her campaign focused on bolstering small businesses and nonprofits in Wake Forest, smart housing growth, and educational needs. Black is a lifelong Wake Forest resident who, according to her campaign website, is seeking the appointment to guide Wake Forest’s growth with a focus on affordability, transparency, public safety and responsible budgeting. The five finalists were selected from a pool of 14 applicants through a scoring process conducted by the board.