If re-elected, Mary Ann Silva will have seven terms as Town Clerk under her belt.

She has held the position for six consecutive terms, a total of 18 years. She said the thing she likes the most about the job is the autonomy.

"Basically, I can do whatever I want,” Silva said. “I answer to the voters, but I have a lot of leeway.”

That said, "the most difficult part of my job is the voters, because you have to answer to them one way or the other."

“I have to always keep them in the back of my mind, no matter what I do,” Silva said.

Silva was first elected as Town Clerk in 1998, after working in the town's Inspectional Services Department in 1994. She took an interest in town meetings and learning about town government, and decided to run for the position to become more involved.

Silva has been re-elected five times, three of which were unopposed. This is her seventh run for office and her opposition this time is candidate Loren Franklin, with whom she worked for a short period of time last year.

“I see my chances of winning a seventh term to appear to be extremely positive,” Silva wrote in a letter to Wareham Week.

She attributes this to her years in the office and her “experience and extensive knowledge being Town Clerk,” as well as “the outpouring of support from many of the residents and voters of Wareham.”

“I'm in charge of all elections, all town meetings, in charge of ethics,” Silva said. “We do everything. We do all vital records.”

The Town Clerk also runs all the elections, Silva added.

“That would be another reason why I'd encourage the town to vote for me," she said. "Do you want a novice to run an election, or do you want somebody that's done it for 18 years? And even with experience, it's difficult.”

Silva has lived in Wareham her entire life. She and her husband were born, raised, and educated in the town, and they have raised children who have followed the same path. Silva has even held the office through personal loss. In 2014, she lost her youngest sister to cancer. She had serious doubts about running for office again, but ultimately decided to do it, after months of deliberation.

If re-elected, Silva said she will continue to serve Wareham with commitment, dedication and professionalism. She also said she will not seek re-election after this term.​