The Rochester Council on Aging’s candidates’ forum on Monday night at the Senior Center introduced attendees and the town to the contenders in three races that will be decided at the May 25 Town Election.

            Incumbent Selectman Brad Morse is facing a challenge for reelection from Adam Murphy, the deputy harbormaster for the Town of Marion. Veteran incumbent Rochester School Committee member Sharon Hartley is being opposed for reelection to a three-year term by local parent Melissa Anne Goneau.

            Jason Chisholm, Gregory Hardy and James O’Brien are competing for the Rochester School Committee seat that veteran board member Tina Rood vacated last year. Chisholm is the current appointee filling the seat. The election is for a two-year term.

            Morse introduced himself at the podium by noting his experience in town government, his eight years as a selectman preceded by 12 years on the Planning Board.
            The board he has served on has proposed important projects, he said, and it has hired full-time town officials to help the town move forward more efficiently. In answer to an audience question, he said the current board is considering using the federal ARPA funds that the town will receive for projects at the Highway Department. He elaborated the board is looking to build new fire and police station quarters, but ARPA funds require that the project be shovel ready “and we want to get the plans just right,” he said.

            The current board, he said, is also keeping an eye on the proposed 212-unit, 40R development being planned in Rochester, and it is keeping a tight handle on the proposed MBTA mandate that towns near their new stations require more housing. The board is watching closely to make sure this new regulation does not affect Rochester too adversely.

            Murphy, the son of Murphy’s Auto owner Michael Murphy, said he has joined his father’s business but has also worked on the Marion Fire Department for 10 years and the Marion Police Department for another 10 years.

            While on the Fire Department, Murphy helped successfully join the department with the ambulance service. He is now a Marion Police patrolman and deputy harbormaster, where he helps with budgeting. He said he would bring all the experiences he’s learned in his careers – teamwork, management, budgeting, seeking important grant funding – to the job of Rochester selectman.

            He emphasized that he is particularly skilled at helping the town through changing public safety regulations. “There is no longer an opportunity to hire a reserve police officer,” he said. “The experience they need is different now. My first-hand knowledge of this police reform gives me the experience to guide the town through these tough times.”

            Hartley noted she has devoted her entire working life to education, from being an elementary school teacher at Rochester Memorial School and a principal on Cape Cod to serving on the local school board for 18 years. She said she believes in service and responsibility and wants to continue to help keep the Rochester school moving forward.

            Her challenger, Goneau, introduced herself as a mother and grandmother of students in the Rochester schools who has concerns about the way school systems across the state are being run. She said she would find ways to take control back from state mandates. She said her main issue on the school board will be paying close attention to what curriculum gets approved and how and whether it is funded. “I want to be a voice against things that come at us from the back door,” she said.

            The current holder of the two-year school committee seat, Chisholm, spoke via a Zoom call due to a professional commitment. He introduced himself as a sales manager for a Boston company who considers Rochester his adopted home. A native of Bedford and the son of military parents, he described himself as a man of high moral character who wants to keep working on the issues that affect the schools.

His wife is from New Bedford, he said, and they have 14, 10 and 8-year-old sons.

            Chisholm said he wasn’t looking to join the committee until being asked to fill the recent vacancy because of his involvement in a local nonprofit. Now he wants to keep his involvement on the school board going strong. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I look forward to working cooperatively to get it done,” he said.

            Hardy, a fellow contender for the two-year seat, said he has lived in Rochester since 2016 and has two children at the Rochester Memorial School. He emphasized that he would be a strong voice for parents and the community, “for the safety and well-being of all students.”

            Hardy singled out when in February the school committee “refused to listen to the opinion of parents,” he said. The committee had received the results of a survey that showed 80 percent of parents wanted to make the wearing of facemasks optional. Still, the committee voted that night to totally lift the mask mandate, he complained. “They wouldn’t listen to the voice of the community,” he said. “I will be a strong voice for the parent and medical freedom.”

            O’Brien is the retired superintendent-director of Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School. He said he has lived in Rochester for 27 years. He noted he has spent over 35 years in vocational school education and retired seven months ago. He said he wants to join the Rochester School Committee now because he wants the students whose lives have been disrupted emotionally and academically by the Covid pandemic to get the extra help and support they need. As a school member, he would strongly advocate for that increased support.

By Michael J. DeCicco

Editor’s Note: Below are statements from Mattapoisett Select Board candidates Jordan Collyer and Donald LaMarr. The Town of Mattapoisett will hold its Election on Tuesday, May 17, at Old Hammondtown School.

Jordan Collyer – Mattapoisett Select Board

First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many citizens of Mattapoisett for their continued years of support. Also, I would like to thank the employees of Mattapoisett. Without you, we would not operate as smoothly as we have. Despite turnover in many positions, the team that is on board continues to exceed expectations in many areas. Throughout my years in office, we have had many struggles and equally as many successes. Through trying financial times to the loss of key teammates, the town has come out stronger and well positioned to weather most any storm. To this day, Mattapoisett continues to have an excellent bond rating and has become a role model for other towns with our sound fiscal policies and actions. It took many years to achieve and maintain this status. If re-elected, it is my plan to continue our policy of not taxing to the full extent of 2.5 percent, but rather use only what is needed to maintain and judiciously improve services. As we all know, housing prices have been staggering and will continue to rise. Truthfully, this is not within any of our control; however, we do have the ability to work with landowners, developers and the Commonwealth to encourage opportunities for those that wish to remain in town. There is no “silver bullet,” but we can surely continue our efforts to seek options and rally behind those that have made this town great for so many years. Continued conversations around sustainable education costs, adequate services for all residents, and programs that can benefit the generations in this town will be critical to success. Keeping the town affordable for all is a goal I believe all of us would like to see long term. I respectfully ask you for your support and vote on May 17^th. I continue to love what I do for the town and will not back down from the challenges and difficult conversations that are necessary. It is my intent to serve you all for another three years with the same dedication you have come to expect.

Donald LaMarr – Mattapoisett Select Board

            I have lived in Mattapoisett for over 25 years, and I believe it is now time for a change on the Select Board. When my mom died of Alzheimer’s disease several years ago, it devastated me. It made me realize how important it is to help seniors and give back to this town I am proud to live in. I want the seniors to feel comfortable in their own homes, and not have to go to an assisted living facility or a nursing home if they don’t have to. I believe they should spend their golden years in their own home, have a support system that includes family and friends, and to make use of the necessary home services that are available. While working in the Bristol County Sheriff’s office, I worked in Homeland Security. But I also spent time speaking at senior centers, warning seniors about those that prey on the elderly and to beware of scams. I do not like seniors being taken advantage of. I promise you that, if I am elected, I will do my very best and work hard for all of the residents of Mattapoisett to make sure everyone is treated fairly. I will work to make sure the town budget is spent wisely, that teachers are recognized for all of the hard work they do, and to work to make the town more affordable for young couples who want to live here. I believe in an open line of communication and a face-to-face, open-door policy. I am willing to hear every word and act on your request with a swift and honest decision. Since retiring two years ago, I have returned to my love of building and collecting cars. It is my passion. But my passion is also believing that I can make a different for the residents of Mattapoisett. A new face and fresh ideas. Please vote for me on May 17.

Mattapoisett Select Board Chairman Jordan Collyer told a large gathering at Old Hammondtown Elementary School that he is hoping to serve one more three-year term to see through a tumultuous transition for the board and the town.

            Collyer called the past two years a “rollercoaster” while addressing a May 4 candidates event organized by The Wanderer and moderated by Don Cuddy of the Mattapoisett Land Trust.

            Prior to the event, little was known about Collyer’s challenger, Don LaMarr, who happens to live on Tallman just off the edge of the Old Hammondtown campus. The devastation of losing his mother to Alzheimer’s Disease motivated him to look after Mattapoisett’s elderly.

            “I realized how important it is to help our seniors,” said LaMarr, 67. “They should spend their golden years in their own home,” with all the necessary services at their disposal.

            A 25-year Mattapoisett resident and self-described “newcomer to politics,” LaMarr said, “it’s time for a change.”

            His experience is in emergency management. He served as a deputy sheriff, worked for Homeland Security where he taught seniors how to deal with scam artists. He also serves as a major of training divisions and law-enforcement training units. He served at Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

            LaMarr said he retired two years ago and enjoys his hobby of building and collecting cars, but his passion is the citizens. “If elected, I will do my very best,” he said, emphasizing a balanced budget spent on “the right things, like the school budget and the library because that’s so important for the youth.”

            Both candidates gave five-minute opening statements followed by prepared questions from the moderator, then questions from the floor and finally a closing statement.

            Asked for a plan to offset the cost of living and taxation by Kathleen Costello, a resident and administrator of the Board of Assessors, Collyer said Bay Club housing provided a windfall, “but finding growth after that has been tough.” Collyer discussed a PILOT program for solar farms, asserting that Mattapoisett is “the only town in the commonwealth that can do this.” He said that the ability to have more solar in town without deforestation can help residents economically.

            Resident Rich Taber asked the candidates about electric vehicles, noting that 9 percent of Boston public school buses ran on electric power.

            Enthused by the idea, LaMarr said he had run a large Toyota dealership and was acquainted with electric-powered cars, including a new Ford Mustang and said that police departments across the state are increasing their purchase of electric-powered cruisers.

            “The biggest thing is Green Communities,” said Collyer, pointing to grant-funded purchases. He also noted that Mattapoisett has made strides with LED street lighting and the new fire station’s capacity to add solar.

            With 18 years on Mattapoisett’s Select Board, Collyer has been the constant on the board while other seats have changed hands and member John DeCosta was lost to cancer. Collyer has served as chairman through the town’s confrontation with Covid-19, a passionate divide over the local school budget (finally approved at Monday night’s Town Meeting) and an emerging interest in school-building consolidation.

            Stability has been his calling card, as Collyer noted that during the pandemic “we didn’t furlough or lay anyone off.” On his watch, Mattapoisett has maintained its AAA bond rating, which maximizes borrowing power for municipal projects. “Seniors, fixed income (residents) … keeping tax rate under control will be our primary focus,” he said.

            The late John DeCosta’s father, the late Jackie DeCosta, served a record 21 years on the Select Board. One more term for Collyer, and he would equal DeCosta’s 21 years.

            Collyer said that regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, he will remain involved.

            Two of the three candidates vying for two seats on the Trustees of the Public Library, Bill Coquillette and Don Fleming, appeared. Incumbent Mike Rosa, who is running for reelection, was traveling and could not be present on May 4.

            While Coquillette’s experience is more library specific, Fleming’s experience is more Mattapoisett specific.

            Fleming considers the Mattapoisett Public Library, the Council on Aging and the Mattapoisett Museum to be the town’s jewels. A recent widower, Fleming was disappointed by the lack of candidates for open seats on various board and committees. He is the former moderator for the town with five children who were educated at Mattapoisett and Old Rochester Regional schools.

            Coquillette emphasized the financial challenges that town facilities face to remain top class and able to support the residents. He pointed to investment in new media for an entity “expanding to being a library of things … a new kind of business has to be developed.”

            In commenting on the decline in enrollment in Tri-Town public schools, Fleming cited conflicting information and acknowledged a budgeting challenge made more difficult.

            The Mattapoisett Election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, at Old Hammondtown Elementary School.

By Mick Colageo