HOBART | Four years ago, incumbent Mayor Linda Buzinec beat Republican challenger John Guthrie by about 400 votes in an election where only about 5,000 residents voted.

This November, it's anyone's guess how the addition of a third candidate -- 18-year-old independent Eric Smith -- could affect the results of the general election.

This time, Guthrie will face former Police Chief Brian Snedecor, who beat Buzinec in a contentious Democratic primary in May. Buzinec has not endorsed either candidate and said she may not do so before the election. That fact, combined with a third candidate who might take votes away from either or both of the other men, could provide for a close election next month.

Smith, who graduated from Hobart High School earlier this year, said his goal is to win the election, not play a spoiler to either of the other candidates.

"I don't view myself as a spoiler or a Ralph Nader type," he said. "My only goal is to present the people of Hobart with a third choice, unique from either the Democratic or Republican one."

He sees himself appealing to a moderate voting base, and to voters who recently turned 18 and have not voted previously.

"I've been encouraging them to step up to the plate and vote, because voting is a major civic duty," he said.

But he acknowledges that independent candidates winning an election are a rarity.

"Any third-party candidate faces an uphill battle," he said. "If I don't win, but if I influence the direction of the city or spurred some direction of change, then I'm happy with that."

Buzinec said she was impressed with Smith as a candidate, and encourages him to remain active in politics. But she said his role in the general election and the number of votes he would attract was uncertain.

Guthrie and Snedecor said they were approaching their respective campaigns the same way they would no matter how many candidates were running.

"I don't know if he'll take votes away from either one of us, but realistically, some of his votes are probably going to come from Brian and some will come from me," Guthrie said. "But because of his age, maybe some younger people will get energized in the process, and that's a good thing."

Snedecor agreed that having a young voter turnout would be a positive impact on the election, but said he didn't see much of a comparison between the previous election and this one.

"It's a different time with different candidates and different issues," he said. "I think Eric does have some views that are similar to mine, but as far as the impact on the voters, I don't know how specifically that is going to play out. We'll have to wait until Election Day and see how the voters respond."