The annual town election is today, April 5. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The election features six candidates for the Board of Selectmen, two hopefuls for the position of Deputy Moderator, and uncontested races for the School Committee, Board of Assessors, and Constable.

Still unsure who will get your vote? Brief information about the races appears below. Click on the candidates' names to read more about them.

Polling locations: Wareham has four polling locations and six precincts. (Scroll down to download a precinct map!)

Precinct 1: Memorial Town Hall, 54 Marion Road, Wareham
Precinct 2: Dudley L. Brown VFW, Gibbs Ball Park Road, Onset
Precinct 3: Dudley L. Brown VFW, Gibbs Ball Park Road, Onset
Precinct 4: Decas Elementary School, 760 Main Street, West Wareham
Precinct 5: Decas Elementary School, 760 Main Street, West Wareham
Precinct 6: Lodge of Elks Hall, 2859 Cranberry Highway, East Wareham

Visit WarehamVillageSoup.com after the polls close for results by precinct as the numbers come in!

Board of Selectmen:

Two seats on the Board of Selectmen will be on the ballot. The seats are currently held by Selectmen Jane Donahue and Brenda Eckstrom. Neither took out papers for re-election.

Ellen Begley of Prospect Street, Donna Bronk of Glenda Avenue, John Cronan of Charge Pond Road, Frank DeFelice of Maki Way, Jennifer Petersen of Blackmore Pond Road, and Michael Schneider of First Avenue have thrown their hats into the ring for the office.

Ellen Begley said that the town has made strides in various areas over the past few years, but indicated that there is still work to be done. "Community and economic development must be a priority in this particularly difficult economy," she said. "Fiscal responsibility during a time of increasing state and federal budget cuts and the kind of transparent and honest government that the community can depend on" are also needed, Begley said, adding that she wants to "be part of the process of bringing our community together and work towards making Wareham the best it can be."

Donna Bronk currently serves as chairman of the Finance Committee. Her term on that board ends in 2013. "I'm running because I want to see unity. ... We're in a difficult situation economically, and instead of pulling apart, we need to work together," Bronk said, adding that the recent public hearing on the school budget, in which the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and Finance Committee participated, was a step in the right direction. She added: "I want to encourage good, positive growth."

John Cronan served on the Board of Selectmen for one term before losing his bid for re-election last April. He said his reasons for running this year are similar to those in the past. “I just want to be open and fair. Work on the problems that we have," Cronan said, adding that he hopes to help with economic development and make sure that the Council on Aging and Police Department get the support they need. He added: “I know [Town Administrator] Mark Andrews is doing a great job. I was part of hiring him and I want to work with him to keep things going forward.”

Frank DeFelice said he is running because "the way that I see Wareham and the town government going, they think it's a place to promote self-interest, and I see personal vendettas all the time,” he said. “I would like to bring some togetherness between the town boards like the School Committee, not fighting with all the other boards all the time. Maybe bring some peace.”

Jennifer Petersen said she is running because she wants to "try to be part of bringing some unity between all the different committees and the Selectmen so that we can better our community," adding that she hopes to get input and ideas from community members through her website, jenniferapetersen.com. It is Petersen's first run for a political office. She said she will work to "bring the best possible policies and other resources to the town." She added: "We have a great resource in the town of Wareham. It's a great town. It would be nice to see it actualize all of its potential.”

Michael Schneider said he wants to continue the progress he's seen made in various areas of town, but said the town has work to do in economic development, affordable housing, and community building. "I think that a lot of it has to do with adopting well-thought-out policies and management plans, particularly in financial areas," Schneider said, citing his experience in community development in Boston as a reason he'd be good for the job. He said he wants to keep the voters involved in the process, and be "approachable, honest, transparent, and cooperative."

School Committee:

Two three-year terms on the School Committee will be on the ballot. Members Ken Fontes of Old Onset Road and Cliff Sylvia of Fairfield Drive are up for re-election.

Fontes said he was not planning to run for the School Committee again, but felt his work is not completed. "I feel that we've done a lot of good things, and there are still things that we can improve." If re-elected, Fontes said he would likely be chair of the committee next year. "My first goal would be to meet with the chair of the Board of Selectmen and try to get us moving on the same road."

Running for his fourth term, Sylvia said he originally wasn't planning a bid for re-election, but said he realized that he still has work to do on the School Committee. “It's just not in my nature to walk away when the job is not done," Sylvia said. “We have to put all of our knowledge and skills and leadership into doing what we can to improve Wareham Public Schools. I just think that there are so many things that are up in the air now in terms of improvement strategies. ... I felt I would be walking away from a responsibility to the town."

Board of Assessors:

Two three-year terms on the Board of Assessors will also be on the ballot. The seats are presently held by Dorothy Vicino and James M. McCahill. McCahill and David Smith of Pinehurst Drive are running for the position.

Deputy Moderator:

Benjamin Donahue, who last held the position of Deputy Moderator, has resigned. Joseph Ashley of Mayflower Lane and former Town Moderator John Donahue of Datewood Street are in the running.

Constable:

One three-year constable term will be on the ballot. Steven P. Coughlin currently holds the office and is running uncontested.