To the Editor:
Thanks to the League of Women Voters Southcoast for sponsoring the Mattapoisett Candidates Night this past Wednesday at Old Hammondtown Elementary School. As the League introduced themselves, we found out that they are a non-partisan political organization for concerned citizens which encourages informed and active participation in government. Amazingly, this organization has been around for 106 years. This annual event is part of their ongoing educational efforts to enable voters to make informed decisions about our upcoming election on Tuesday, May 19.
The League gave the current candidates who choose to attend the evening an opportunity to introduce themselves and debate other candidates for Select Board, Trustees of the Public Library, the ORR School Committee, the Mattapoisett School Committee and the Board of Health. Some of these positions only have one candidate so they were able to simply introduce themselves.
It was an informative night as the candidates responded to questions from the moderator giving everyone who attended the opportunity to share their skills, experiences and strengths that they would bring to the elected position, their vision for Mattapoisett, the challenges ahead, concerns about conflict of interest on issues facing the town, and funding the needs of our town without overburdening the taxpayers. Whew. It was quite a two-hour event.
For voters of our town, I encourage you to turn on ORCTV Government on your phone or computer. ORCTV Government is a member of Vimeo (actually a video recording of the event). You just have to scroll down to Mattapoisett Candidates Night April 22, 2026, sit back and watch the candidates’ responses. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can check your local tv listings. It will be worth your time.
Tuesday, May 19 will be our opportunity to vote for the candidates that we think will bring us closer to making Mattapoisett the town we all want it to be. We have the opportunity to elect three Select Board members from six candidates, two Library Board members from three candidates, and two candidates for one position on the Board of Health. In addition to three uncontested positions. Please take the opportunity to learn about our candidates so that you can make informed decisions that will affect us all and generations to come.
Liz DiCarlo, Mattapoisett
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