All three seats of the Onset Water Board of Commissioners are up for election come May 17, but only two are contested. The election will be held at the Onset VFW (Gibbs Ball Park Road) on May 17 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Kenneth Fontes, director of the Wareham Boys and Girls Club, will be running against incumbent David O'Hearne for a three-year term position on the Board of Commissioners.

Michael Sanborn, a former board member, faces opposition from new comer Benjamin Hughes for a one-year term on the board.

Francis Kowzic is running unopposed for a two-year term on the Board of Water Commissioners.

In the department, incumbent Marcine Fernandes is running for a three-year term on the Prudential Committee and Robert Brousseau is running for a one-year term as the moderator.

Three-year term

Brian O'Hearne

O'Hearne seeks re-election into his fifth term as a water commissioner and said his main priority is to find other sources of funding.

“Because Onset is so small, you really need to look for other sources of funding,” he said. “Expenses keep going up and you just can't keep putting that on the people.”

His degree in Accounting from North Adams State College provides him with experience in financing that is necessary for the job, he said.

Originally from Burlington, O'Hearne has lived in Onset for the part 15 years. He is currently on the Fire Station Building Study Committee and has served on the Bylaw Review Committee. O'Hearne works in Hopkinton as a controller for the CTS Corporation, a small manufacturing company that was originally the Chicago Telephone System.

One goal he has, if re-elected, is to look at a new sandpipe.

“Ours is old,” he said. “They have some new designs out there that are low profile. These new ones are a little wider, but they only go fifty or sixty feet in the air. We'll see what we can get for the best deal for that.”

Kenneth Fontes

Current director of the Wareham Boys and Girls Club, Fontes previously served on the School Committee for six years (2008-2014) and left with high praise from his colleagues, including then-current Chairman Geoffrey Swett. He took a year off from any type of office after that. When his friends told him about an open position on the board this year, he decided to run.

Having lived in Wareham his entire life, Fontes graduated from Wareham High School and has worked in communications for over 30 years. He said he holds familiarity with budgeting and that becoming involved in the board would be interesting.

“I've always took an interest in supporting things for the town. I was asking some of the residents what are some of their concerns,” said Fontes. “I think what I bring to the table is a people person. So someone that is open for anyone to talk to.”

Fontes stressed the importance of communication between departments, stating that “there has to be a strong working relationship between the water board and the prudential committee.”

He said his experience would be “on the job,” and his priority is maintaining the quality of the water.

“As long as I've been here, Onset has been known for some of the best water and that's a goal to keep it like that,” he said. “If I don't win I'll just continue to sit back and drink the good water.”

One-year term

Benjamin Hughes

Though he's only lived here for five years, Benjamin Hughes said the reason he's running for office is because he's “absolutely fallen in love with the town of Onset.”

A native of Middleboro, Hughes has previously lived in New Bedford and Fall River. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth in 2014 with a degree in civil and environmental engineering.He currently works as a wastewater engineer and business development manager for Ground Penetrating Carbon. He said his experience “could be a great asset to the town and to Onset.” The two reasons why he would be the ideal candidate for the job are his qualifications as an engineer and his love for the town, he said.

There a few things Hughes wants to focus on if elected and that includes relaying information.

“Communication. Big time. I've had many questions from my neighbors about many different things,” he said. “I want to nail down exactly what's what. I want [the ratepayers] to get the best service they can for the money they pay. ”

His top goals, if elected, are "for Onset, the residents of Onset, and the communication."

“I know there have been issues in the past. I'm really hoping to bridge the gap between the different boards,” he said. “I want to see this place be what it can be, and be a part of it.”

Michael Sanborn

Sanborn calls on his previous experience on the board and his desire to “get back in and help the community” as two reasons he's running for a seat on the board.

“I think I can get in and put my boots to the ground and move forward,” he said.

Sanborn has raised his family in the town of Wareham, having lived here for almost 38 years. For 30 of those years, he's been a part of the Onset Fire Department as a voluntary firefighter. He's participated in the town's highway department for the past 17 years. He currently works in Bourne and oversees highway quality and operations.

Sanborn sees water as “the biggest resource that a community could have.” If re-elected, he hopes to maintain what the department already offers.

“I think when I get in there, just keeping up with the quality of the water. I think our water is the best in the area,” he said. “We want to make sure we have enough water for the residents of Onset, and make sure we have enough water in case of fires or anything.”