Selectmen candidate Michael Frates wants the town to know him.

Frates, who is running for one of the seats on the Board of Selectmen "cannot stress enough" the importance for citizens to know the people running for the office of Selectman, and hopes to use social media, as well as the more traditional routes of email and phone calls, to help residents get to know him. He has been calling residents, running a door-to-door campaign to gain support, and even handing out fliers at the Post Office during lunchtime.

If elected, Frates will offer his services as a full-time Selectmen, since he retired from his position at Amtrak Acela Management. He said his main priority is to be a representative for Wareham residents. Should he secure the position, Frates said he plans to keep the doors of his home open to residents and to listen to what residents have to say. With an office in the front of his house on 49 Pinecrest Drive, Frates plans to be available after 9 a.m. every day. Frates also plans to keep his Facebook page up to date, posting his opinions on a weekly basis and hearing others' opinions as well.

“The opioid crisis is number one on my agenda,” said Frates, who wants to help the town face and combat is the opioid crisis that has has made and continues to make deep marks in Wareham. Having been in recovery for more than 10 years himself, Frates knows and understands the problem firsthand. Though he realizes that recovery can only begin when one wants it, he believes it is "our job as a community" to provide support and assistance to those who want help. Frates has seen how the opioid crisis has affected every single person he knows either directly or indirectly and said that "saving even one life is worth it."

A longtime resident of Wareham, Frates has performed a variety of tasks while working for Amtrak Acela Management, including but not limited to large scale budgeting, personnel and labor relations, and bargaining agreements. He was a union representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and understands the importance of negotiations. Frates said he hopes to offer his diverse experience in the railroad industry by offering creative solutions to existing problems, especially Wareham's limited funding.

He hopes to help with grant writing for establishments like the Wareham Free Library in order to increase funding for town services. Frates said that he is willing to help and work with any department head.

"Moreso now than ever, it's important to think outside the box," said Frates, adding that, though he stands by this, he thinks it's important to protect the taxpayers and to not take financial risks in troubled economic times.

Frates declares himself a strong supporter of businesses that help serve communities, rather than serving just themselves. If elected, he said he will negotiate with big businesses that come into Wareham, granting licenses only if the businesses give back to the community by hiring a certain number of full-time employees, though he hasn't specified a certain amount or percentage.

"You want to do the negotiating that does the most good," said Frates.

Frates does not accept political contributions for his campaign, based on the belief that "the key to best serving any community is being totally impartial and not influenced in financial ways."

Frates has ran for office three times in Wareham and will not run again after this election.