PROVIDENCE — A special election on Tuesday will determine who fills the vacant state House of Representatives District 10 seat, which represents three West Side neighborhoods.

Three candidates are in the running, including Scott A. Slater, the son of the late state representative for District 10, Thomas Slater, whose death earlier this year prompted the special election.

The younger Slater decisively beat six other candidates in a special October primary, earning the Democratic Party nomination with more than 50 percent of the vote.

He will face Republican Maurice Green and Independent candidate Wilbur W. Jennings Jr.

District 10 covers the city’s West End, South Elmwood and Reservoir neighborhoods, which have a combined population of over 21,000 and 6,541 registered voters.

South Elmwood and Reservoir Triangle are middle-class neighborhoods, defined by single-family homes and the 462-acre Roger Williams Park.

The West End is the city’s largest neighborhood, and has struggled over the last two decades with high crime, poverty, unemployment, and, more recently, foreclosures.

The candidates:

Maurice Green, 44, of Rutherglen Avenue, is a Providence police officer and Republican candidate. He has served for 20 years, the past 11 as a detective.

He previously worked in the city Traffic Engineer’s Office and holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Roger Williams University.

If elected, Green says he pledges to hold down spending by vowing never to vote for any proposed tax hikes. He also says the state needs a stronger two-party system. “It’s OK to vote for a Republican,” said Green. “A Republican from Rhode Island is far from the Republican of D.C.”

He believes he is qualified because he is a “real person” that has never run for public office.

Green says he would support civil unions for homosexuals, but not marriage. He would not support binding arbitration for teachers unions. He supports regionalization of municipal services and is undecided on Mayor David N. Cicilline’s recent proposals to allow municipalities to assess fees on local colleges, universities, and hospitals in compensation for their tax-exempt status.

Wilbur W. Jennings Jr., 65, of 115 Sinclair Ave., is a retired city Department of Public Works employee and independent candidate. He served as superintendent and deputy superintendent. He currently works part-time at Herb Chambers Honda in Seekonk.

Jennings formerly served on the board of directors of the YMCA of Greater Providence and Providence Community Action.

The current chair of the Democratic Committee for Ward 8, Jennings has unsuccessfully run as a Democrat for District 10 and City Council (Ward 8) in previous elections.

Jennings says he is running this year to address unemployment, foreclosures and health care. A lifelong district resident, he says his “desire to help people” motivated him to run.

He says he would support gay marriage, is undecided on the issue of allowing binding arbitration for teachers unions, and supports Cicilline’s regionalization plan and legislation to tax large nonprofit institutions.

Scott A. Slater, 34, of 74 Sawyer St., is a budget analyst in the city Finance Department and the Democratic candidate. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Bryant University.

Slater says he is campaigning for more state funds to build affordable housing, the creation of a state funding formula for education, and allowing more families to qualify for RIte Care.

Slater says he was motivated to run to uphold the legacy of his father, who served the district for 15 years, and to continue to help the residents who supported his father over the years.

He says his finance background and his experience helping his father over the years “solve constituent problems” qualifies him to run for state representative.

Slater supports gay marriage, binding arbitration for teachers unions, regionalization, and seeking compensation from tax-exempt large nonprofit institutions.

Polling places will open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The locations:

• The Casino at Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Ave.

• The Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Ave.

• Dr. Jorge Alvarez School, 375 Adelaide Ave.

• Kilmartin Plaza, 160 Benedict St.

• Leviton Annex, 65 Greenwich St.

• West End Community Center, 109 Bucklin St.

• Asa Messer School, 158 Messer St.

pmarcelo@projo.com