Former Town Moderator John Donahue said he's running for the position of Deputy Moderator because he has the experience and wants to help the town.

"I believe citizens should be engaged in their self-governance," he said.

Donahue, 58, served as Moderator for nine years, but was defeated in his re-election bid last April. He also served as an elected Assessor for 17 years, and is currently a member of the Plymouth County Charter Review Commission.

Donahue cited the years he served as Town Moderator as the most notable reason he is qualified for the position of Deputy Moderator.

“I initiated a number of innovated procedural changes” to increase Town Meeting efficiency, he told a crowd gathered to hear candidates speak at the Onset Protective League's Candidates Night on March 24.

Among those changes: Adding slideshow presentations of Town Meeting articles, instituting a consent calendar so housekeeping articles could be passed in one fell swoop, and introducing high-school-aged tellers to assist in counting votes.

Donahue also pointed out that he has a law degree from the Southern New England School of Law, and has been a Town Meeting participant for more than 30 years.

He says the Deputy Moderator should be knowledgeable about of the articles appearing before Town Meeting. A Deputy Moderator should also be able to quickly evaluate the quantum of the vote when a motion requires something other than a majority vote, he said.

"It's important to have a seasoned Deputy Moderator, somebody who is well-versed in the rules of the law," Donahue said.

Donahue works as a real estate appraiser and has lived in Wareham since the early 1960s. He and his wife of more than three decades, current Selectman Chair Jane Donahue, live on Datewood Street in Parkwood Beach. The couple has two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, as well as two cats.