Candidate for the Board of Selectmen David A. Smith would like first and foremost to solve what he sees as a lack of trust between the people of Wareham and the Board of Selectmen.

"I want to bring government back to the people of Wareham … there's not a connection between what I feel is the majority of the voters in Wareham and the Selectmen."

One way to do that is by increasing communication. Smith mentioned a recent exchange while picketing on Marion Road near Wareham Town Hall in which a citizen asked Smith what he could do about a permit she needed in order to install a stove in her house.

He said, "e-mail me and I'll find out."

Smith noted that one way to facilitate dialogue would be "having the public contact me to be able to relate to me what their needs are so that I can help them."

Having that contact would allow him to represent Wareham's citizens as best as he can.

"I have no agendas, I have no plans for the future of Wareham." said Smith, "I want the people of Wareham to tell me what they want, rather than me telling them what they need."

Smith has held appointments on the Community and Economic Development Authority, the Bike Path Committee, and was elected to the Board of Assessors last year. The Board of Assessors has taught Smith about how money that supports the town is distributed, and how to be fair when deciding who owes what and who doesn't, he said.

Since the Town Charter doesn't allow someone to be on both the Board of Assessors and the Board of Selectmen at the same time, Smith said that he would have to resign as an assessor if elected to the Selectmen.

Working as an assessor has also given Smith an added benefit. "I know how to maneuver the government bureaucracy," he said.

Some of his understanding of government and budgets comes from his experience as an entrepreneur while living in San Francisco -- the place where he spent most of his adult life until he moved to Massachusetts in the early 2000s.

Smith ran his own travel agency, "Creative Tours," for 12 years while in San Francisco. The business gave personalized tours with a guide.

"Doing your own business teaches you finances … bookkeeping, paying bills, and balancing a budget," Smith said. "You've got to take what you've got and make it work."

Smith, who is 68 years old, is from Los Angeles and went to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he majored in business. But, because business "wasn't in the national interest," Smith was drafted into the U.S. Army and went to Germany. There, he was a member of the "MP," or military police, an experience which Smith says taught him how to deal with the unpleasant side of human nature.

Smith came back to America in his 20s and settled in San Francisco where he married and had four children. In addition to running his own business for a certain period, he drove sightseeing buses around the San Francisco area, an occupation he continues in Wareham, working for the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) bus service on weekends.

Smith eventually divorced and remarried a woman from Stoughton whom he met while she was taking a tour of San Francisco on the bus Smith was driving. Smith moved to to Wareham in 2006.

Smith ran for State Representative in 2010, and though he lost to current State Representative Susan Williams Gifford (R-Wareham), he said that he garnered 37% of the vote in the race.

On issues that Wareham is currently facing, such as sewer betterments, housing, and the budget, Smith believes it's important first and foremost to listen to what the people want.

"All Selectmen are subject to the desires of the electorate," he said. "I have opinions, but that doesn’t mean I will vote that way. I'll vote the way the majority of ... people want."

The budget is a particular item that Smith reserves opinions on.

"A balanced budget is an essential part…[of the] town," Smith said, before adding: "I'm not sure that there even is a problem other than I've heard from the media that there is a problem. … I would like the administration to express to us that there is a problem if there is a problem."

Still, when pressed about controversial financial issues facing Wareham, such as sewer betterments and new school buses, Smith offered viewpoints on the problems facing the town.

"I would like to suggest to the people of Wareham that they seriously have to look at cutting back or going forward with an override," Smith said. "Citizens of Wareham have to look at this, what are they willing to give up, what are they willing to pay for."

Installing sewers the town is another area where Smith believes the people of Wareham will have to make some tough choices. "Sewering" is one of the most important "future plans" of Wareham, according to Smith, though he thinks it's a "crime" that the federal government no longer subsidizes or helps out.

"So the question is, is who is going to pay for it? Is it the individual or the town in general? I don't have the answer," said Smith. "The people of Wareham will have to decide, they're going to have to work it out among themselves."

As for the delayed Westfield development, which once completed, will bring affordable senior housing to the 77-acre Westfield property in West Wareham. Smith believes that any housing is better than none.

The project was overwhelming approved by Town Meeting in October 2010 after twice being sent for further study at previous Town Meetings.

"I think there is a need for housing in Wareham…[not just] low cost housing, but all sorts of housing," Smith said, adding that there is also a need for middle class housing in Wareham.

Ultimately, however, on housing and all of the issues, Smith said that the decision remains with the people of Wareham.

"What do the people of Wareham want to do about it?" Smith asked, "I want to find out."

Detailing his greater vision for the town, Smith said that he would like to see Wareham remain a town, and not grow too large and become a city.

It is that small town feel that attracts Smith to Wareham and makes him want to run for Selectman, he said.

"The people of Wareham are good people," said Smith. "I relate everything to driving. On Main Street, there is always somebody in the crosswalk, [and drivers] will stop. ... I think [Wareham residents] are nice people."