All of the candidates in the upcoming town election attended a candidates’ night on April 4 to give voters insight into their ideas for the town’s future.

The event was held in person in the Select Board’s meeting room and also broadcasted on WCTV and on Zoom for remote access.

Despite some disagreement about policy, the candidates’ devotion to the town was a clear theme throughout the night. 

“I believe in this town,” said Brennan McKiernan, who is running unopposed for School Committee. “We’re all Warehamites — We’re all neighbors.”

He said his priorities include highlighting the many accomplishments of Wareham students, increasing student’s opportunities to weigh in at School Committee meetings and making sure that as many students as possible are able to participate in the various programs offered by the district.

Margaret Ishihara, running unopposed for Town Moderator, said that even with the town’s abundant natural beauty, “the most beautiful thing about this town is the people here.”

“What I notice is that when someone has a hardship — they have a fire at their house, they have an illness, they have an accident, they maybe don’t have enough to eat — that the people here step up and give, and I think that’s really wonderful,” Ishihara said. 

She said that she thinks current longtime moderator Claire Smith has done a great job, and explained her philosophy for running the meetings: “I want to make sure that all sides of the debate ... have a chance to be aired and be heard.”

She said that her goal is “to ensure that we remain civil, that we remain respectful, that we listen to each other, and then we vote.”

David Halberstadt, an incumbent candidate running unopposed for a spot on the Board of Assessors, spent much of his allotted time explaining the role of assessors in town government. He gave concise answers to often straightforward queries: No, the assessor doesn’t set the tax rate. Often, Halberstadt praised the assessor's office and the colleagues he works alongside.

Candidates go head to head

There are several contested races this year, both for the role of Town Clerk and for three seats on the Select Board.

Incumbent Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette faces a challenge from Jenna Deane, a second-time candidate and longtime Town Hall employee. 

Deane said she moved to town in the fourth grade and is raising her two children here. She said she’d bring 15 years of office experience to the role — including three years in the Town Clerk’s office and three years in the building department. If elected, Deane said one of her priorities would be to bring more procedures online, including dog licenses and requests for various documents. She also wants to bring back notary services to the office.

Bissonnette cited her 15 years of experience as Assistant Town Clerk in Marion, and she said she’s built a wide professional network. She said she’s tried to bring some services online as Deane suggested, but that it hadn’t worked out. Bissonnette said she wants to work to engage young people through programs with the schools. 

The candidates disagreed about whether the position should be appointed or elected. 

Bissonnette said she believes it should be appointed to bring more consistent accountability for the role. While in Marion, she worked under elected Town Clerk Ray Pickles who was notorious for rarely showing up for work. Deane, in contrast, said that elections are the best way to hold the clerk accountable.

One-year Select Board seat

Two candidates are up for the one-year seat to be vacated by Peter Teitelbaum: Tricia Wurts and Brenda Eckstrom. 

Eckstrom served on the board for six years, as well as other roles in town, and she said she’s “hooked on how important it is to be involved in your town.”

She said she wants to “reevaluate where money is spent,” adding that she’s concerned about the staffing both at the police department and in municipal maintenance. She suggested bringing back the practice of holding Select Board meetings in various neighborhoods throughout the summer and having the Town Administrator and a board member available before the meeting to speak with the public.

Wurts, a technology consultant, said that she’s focused on communication: both between residents and the government, and between the town and the rest of the world as it works to attract visitors and new residents. She said she’s interested in securing more grant funding for the town and pursuing other ways to earn money, including leasing out land for solar canopies over parking lots, for instance. 

Both candidates are strong supporters of the proposed Decas Community Center. 

Three-year Select Board candidates

Jody Santagate said she first moved to town in part because of its diversity. She’s spent years volunteering with Head Start, Little League and the Wareham Tigers, and she currently serves with the Council on Aging, Decas Steering Committee and as a mentor for CYE. She’s also been working to bolster her knowledge of municipal issues through online training. 

“We need a different, out-of-the-box perspective,” Santagate said, adding that she wants to be held accountable and plans to continue to hold regular events to speak with voters if she’s elected.

Jared Chadwick, a firefighter, paramedic and Wareham Tigers president, said that his top issues are expanding the town’s Emergency Medical Services, supporting kid-friendly activities and organizations in town and rehabilitating Onset and East Wareham by dealing with dilapidated buildings and worn infrastructure.

“I’m currently seeing families leaving Wareham because of schools, sports and other necessities young families need to thrive in their community, and I’d like to find a way to bring back a recreational department to help maintain our various parks and keep our beaches clean,” Chadwick said. 

Ronald Besse, a father of five, said he has a long family history in town but moved here himself from New Bedford in 2019. He said that the town’s children are its future. He serves on the Conservation Commission, Open Space Committee and Solar Bylaw Committee, which he says gives him insight into important town issues. 

Besse said he’s focused on long-term planning.

“We have some issues in town that we won’t change overnight,” Besse said.

Incumbent Jim Munise said he’s lived in town for 40 years, and he retired several years ago from Bridgewater State where he was involved in union leadership. He’s also taken advantage of online training, he said, and serves on the Affordable Housing Trust and the Waste District committee. Among his top issues are improving the town’s infrastructure, senior affordable housing, staffing, accessibility and open space and recreation. But he noted that, as always, money is the elephant in the room.

“There’s only so many dollars to go around,” Munise said. 

On solar, the candidates agreed that alternative energy is a good thing in the right place, and they each said they favored the installation of panels over parking lots or on previously disturbed or developed land. 

The candidates also agreed that the potential of a Prop 2 ½ override would need to be carefully studied, and they noted that the decision would be up to the voters.

The candidates were asked about the biggest issue facing the town. For Besse, that issue is communication, transparency and maintaining free debate. Santagate also identified communication — and the “huge disconnect” between residents and officials — as a top issue. Munise said that the town’s sewer capacity and EDU billing could limit future growth. Chadwick said growth in the town’s population threatens to overwhelm the town’s services. 

The candidates’ night event was filmed by WCTV, and the station will make it available online.