The deadline to take out nomination papers for the Board of Selectmen seat vacated by Michael Schneider passed on Friday, with four of the five candidates returning papers for the two-year post.

Peter W. Teitelbaum of Oak Street, Amit Johar of Cranberry Highway, Capital Planning Committee member Mary Jane Driscoll of Main Street, and former-Selectman Patrick Tropeano of Dowd Avenue all returned papers, securing them a spot on the April 3 ballot as long as the state legislature approves the Board of Selectmen's request to add the seat.

Teitelbaum said he is running because he wants to serve the town and work together with the current officials to get the town's business done.

"The town faces a number of challenges and I'd like to hopefully be part of the solution," he said. "I think my work history over the past 20 years, not only as an attorney, but also as somebody who worked for the Boston Globe in a supervisory position ... would [help me] bring a different perspective to the Selectman position."

Johar said he wants to help the town gain some stability in the town administrator's office due to there being a lot of turnover in that department in recent years and help the town make "business decisions."

"Let's give [Town Administrator Mark Andrews] a chance to do what he was hired to do," Johar said. "Everybody just seems discontent. ... There's no progress. Nothing's getting done. ... Sitting still like this doesn't make sense to me. I'm stepping forward and hoping to make some business decisions instead of politicking."

Tropeano, who served as a Selectman and member of the Finance Committee, said he "owes the town a lot" after it rallied in support of his family members after a 2010 car accident. His daughter, Catie, sustained serious injuries, but has recovered "amazingly well," Tropeano said.

"The town did so much for us during that whole thing, and it's incredible," Tropeano said. "I haven't really had a good way to say 'thank you' to everybody. ... I know this town is having issues, like every town, but I saw how they can pull together. I know we can pull together and deal with this. We need to start to think about the future and where we want to go and how we want our town to look."

Driscoll did not respond to a request for comment before Wareham Week went to press. Check WarehamVillageSoup.com for updates to this story.

Dorothy Hassard of Queen Drive took out papers for the post, but did not return them by Friday's deadline.

Schneider, who will resign as of March 31, announced his resignation too late for his seat to easily be added to the April 3 ballot. If legislators do not approve the request, the town will have to call a special election, which could cost thousands of dollars. For more information, visit: http://wareham-ma.villagesoup.com/news/story/207606.

State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) said his office has received the request from the Board of Selectmen and is waiting for the bill to be filed.

"We've looked at the language, we've got it over to the Governor's office, and we're waiting for them to essentially file the bill," Pacheco said.

Pacheco said he thinks the bill will be "generally supported in the legislature," since it will save the town some money, but he didn't want to speculate further about whether the bill would be ultimately approved.

The rest of the April 3 ballot features contested races for the a three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen and seats on the School Committee, Board of Assessors, and Housing Authority.

Board of Selectmen Chair Walter Cruz, who has recently been the swing vote on the board, is not seeking re-election.

"I would like to thank all the citizens of Wareham who have given me their support for the past three years," Cruz said in a statement. "I have decided not to run for re-election. Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Selectman."

After thanking the community, Cruz said his reasons for not seeking another term were personal.

Three candidates are currently racing for Cruz's vacated seat. Active volunteer Alan Slavin of Oak Street, former Selectman Bruce Sauvageau of Swifts Beach Road, and Board of Assessors member David A. Smith of Pinehurst Drive have thrown their hats into the ring for the three-year position.

Smith, who was elected to the Board of Assessors last year, said he wanted to give people another choice for the Selectmen seat.

"I threw my hat into the ring because Walter [Cruz] isn't running and I didn't think that the people of Wareham had a real choice. I wanted to give them at least one other option," Smith said. "I probably represent a majority of the people ... where the other two candidates, I feel, in my opinion, have their own agendas."

Slavin, who serves on the Capital Planning Committee and Planning Board, among other committees, said he hopes to help town committees, residents and voters to "work together for a common goal."

"Things have to progress. We have major issues and we have a lot of expenses looking at us... and no easy solution," Slavin said. "Hopefully I can find a way to start to work together to accomplish things that need to be done for the town."

Sauvageau, who spent nine years serving as a Selectman, said he sees a need for more experience on the board.

"This is a board of entirely new Selectmen. There's nothing wrong with that, new blood is important, but I really do think they need some institutional knowledge and some history," Sauvageau said. "There are some issues that are not getting resolved that are really important to us. ... Economic development, we desperately need it, [and] we need to expand our tax base."

Two seats are opening up on the School Committee. School Committee Chair Geoff Swett and member Rachel Gillette's three-year terms are ending.

Michael Flaherty of Harkins Way, who currently volunteers on the Wareham Free Library Board of Trustees, has taken out nomination papers for one of those seats.

"Like so many other parents, I'm dismayed at the situation our schools [are in]," said Flaherty, alluding to ongoing budget and transportation issues. "Instead of complaining about it, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and work with others to do something about it."

It is Flaherty's first run for elected office.

Lynne Burroughs of Main Street has also taken out papers for a School Committee seat. We will update this story with Burroughs' comments as soon as possible.

Incumbent Swett of Cromesett Road has taken out papers for re-election.

Swett said the primary reason that he's running for re-election to continue working on the district's teacher evaluation system, a process the School Committee, administrators, and Wareham Teachers' Association began two years ago.

With his background in management, Swett said he wants to "try to improve the overall management, organization, and accountability within the system so that it ultimately results in better instruction in the classroom."

One seat for a five-year term on the Housing Authority will also be on the April 3 ballot. Robert A. Powilatis of Cory Drive has taken out papers. Martin Benoit of Sandwich Road has also taken out papers.

Two three-year seats on the Board of Assessors are also up for grabs, as well as one seat for a one-year term.

Three-year terms on the Board of Assessors are currently held by Chair Steven Curry and Vice-chair James Makrys.

Curry has taken out papers for another three-year term. Also vying for the three-year seat are Robert Bunstein of Bayberry Road and former assessor and former Town Moderator John Donahue of Datewood Street.

Former Selectman Brenda Eckstrom of Wychunas Avenue, who currently serves as an Onset Water Commissioner, was the sole candidate to take out papers for the one-year Board of Assessors position.

A three-year term for Deputy Moderator will be on the ballot. Joseph Ashley, who was elected Deputy Moderator last year after the resignation of the former Deputy Moderator, is seeking the full term.

For more information, call the Town Clerk's office at 508-291-3140.