Alan Slavin thinks that the only solution to Wareham's budget and development woes is increasing economic development and making Wareham an attractive place to do business.

"You have to change the climate of Wareham," Slavin said during a March 8 interview. "Businesses are looking for stability."

One way that Slavin proposes to do this is by tapping into the talent pool of people that Wareham already has; for example, by creating a "Wareham Economic Council" filled with members of prominent Wareham businesses such as the A.D. Makepeace company.

The idea is to utilize the resources available to Wareham.

"We need to tap into this base talent pool that is retiring," said Slavin. The "town needs to make them feel wanted … [they are] financially stable and have great skills, why not use them?"

Slavin also sees Wareham as strategically placed between Provincetown, Providence, and Boston, and can see it developing as a center that fulfills business needs and services in those areas.

Before creating a strong economic climate in Wareham, however, Slavin said that first Wareham needs to solve the issue of a lack of trust, confidence, and respect in town government.

"No matter what you bring forth, unless you fix that, nothing is going to happen," Slavin said.

It would take effort on the part of the community to get more involved and on the part of the Selectmen to reach out to the community, Slavin said.

"Residents of Wareham have to step up," Slavin said. "The Selectmen by themselves are not going to fix the problem."

Slavin also added that it is difficult for residents to "step up," since many of them feel embarrassed going in front of the Selectmen during their board meetings, or don't feel prepared during Town Meeting.

Consensus is key to getting things done, according to Slavin.

"Anything you're going to do, if you don't get all the stakeholders involved and get a consensus, it's not going to work," Slavin said. "The bottom line is, unless everyone agrees to the same goal, it's not going to happen."

Slavin learned about consensus during his volunteer experiences on various boards and committees in Wareham.

The 67-year-old Slavin -- he works out everyday at the Gleason Family YMCA -- began his volunteer work when he was appointed to the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission in the late 1990s, he said.

In Wareham, Slavin started his volunteer work on the Marine Resources Commission in 2006 and built his resume by joining the Tremont Nail Master Plan Committee in 2007, the Capital Planning Committee in 2008-2009, and the Planning Board in 2009-2010.

Slavin said those experiences showed him how a town government functions.

"I'm at the point where I know how a municipality works," he said. "I know what the drawbacks are and how slow sometimes things proceed. I understand the process."

Slavin was also on the Charter Review Committee in 2009, a group that reviewed the Town Charter and recommended to Town Meeting that the town change from having a Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting to having a mayor and a city council.

The measure was rejected by Town Meeting. Asked why he is running for the Board of Selectmen after asking voters to scrap that form of government, Slavin explained that 6 of the 8 members of the committee wanted a mayoral form of government. Slavin and another member did not want a mayoral form of government, and Slavin himself wanted a representative Town Meeting instead of the direct form that Wareham currently has.

At the end of the day, it did not matter, according to Slavin, because town meeting voted the proposal down.

The "Town of Wareham didn't want it, so that's it," Slavin said. "I still would consider [the representative Town Meeting]. Town meeting is the purest form of government. If the majority of people are satisfied and it works for them, then that's the way it is. You can't force things on people, you can't tell them what to do."

Not forcing top-down solutions on people is also the stance that Slavin takes with some of the specific issues pressing Wareham. "

The town is faced with a lot of problems," Slavin said. "Our financial situation is dire, our revenues are not increasing in step with our expenses."

Slavin said he does not support raising taxes, though he remarked that Wareham has a low tax rate compared to surrounding areas.

In terms of supporting debt exclusions or an override, Slavin believes that it is up to Town Meeting to ultimately decide what to do.

The "Board of Selectmen has a duty to let things go to Town Meeting, let people make a decision," he said.

That being said, Slavin unequivocally stated his belief that it was up to the taxpayers to educate the next generation of children.

"Someone paid for my education," Slavin said. "We have a duty to make sure the children coming after us…[get] the proper education so they can function in the future, and I believe that everybody has that obligation."

Ultimately, whether it is funding education or paying for the extension of the town's sewer system, Slavin said people have to figure out "what are you willing to give up, and what are you willing to pay for."

In terms of sewer betterments -- the cost each homeowner must pay for the extension of the sewer to their home -- Slavin owns one house in Parkwood, where the betterments have already been determined at just over $15,000, and owns two houses in the Oakdale area, which has estimated betterment costs of over $22,000 -- so he considers himself on "both sides of the fence."

Slavin is not originally from Wareham, but met his wife and Wareham native Sandy Slavin while a student at Northeastern University studying accounting and economics.

Slavin has worked as a general manager for Vanson Leathers in Fall River, where he learned about marketing, sales, finance, and contract negotiations. Slavin also worked as an accountant and auditor for various companies. He credits his time owning and running his own parts business for motorcycles and automobiles as the best in bringing out his talents.

"Long term planning, strategic planning," Slavin said, "I've always had that particular ability to look at it, analyze it, and figure out how it works."