Somerset, Swansea and Westport have town elections next week

Somerset, Swansea and Westport all have town elections planned for next week. In each town, at least one race is contested, with multiple candidates vying for an open seat. Here's where and when to vote, and each town's contested elections:

Somerset

Somerset’s town election is Monday, April 10. Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m., at Somerset Berkley Regional High School, 625 County St.

Incumbent Selectman Lorne Lawless, who was first elected to the board in 2007, is running against former school committee and planning board member Jamison Souza and Paul Healey, who currently sits on the Council on Aging Board. There is one Board of Selectmen seat up for grabs.

Healey said he was motived to jump into the race by concerns he has about the Prysmian and SouthCoast Wind projects at Brayton Point, such as their environmental impact, along with the town’s water quality and residential tax rate.

“As a retired public health physician with occupational and environmental specialty training and having law and business degrees along with military and corporate careers I feel I am uniquely qualified to do this with the best possible outcome for Somerset,” he said.

Lawless said he has helped protect the town’s environment during his time on the board, pointing to the closure of the scrap metal operation on Brayton Point. He also said he has contributed to town finances by approving events like the Spirit of Somerset, Winterfest and SOAM that bring revenue to the town and by keeping a close eye on town spending.

“We now conduct an extensive budget review with each department head to ensure that the budgets aren’t padded and that the needs are met while limiting to wants,” he said.

Souza also stressed the need for Somerset to have fiscal responsibility. He told Somerset Access TV that the town must find ways to stop raising taxes on residents.

“We must realign our staffing and bring in outside funding, utilizing a town planner, a town grant writer that will not cost the taxpayer, but will bring in the resources to benefit us, the taxpayers,” he said.

The School Committee also has a contested race. Incumbent Robert Gaw and James Nasto, Linda Boisselle and Jennifer Ashley are competing for two open seats on the Somerset School Committee.

In her candidate statement for Somerset Access TV, Ashley said she would bring her experience as an educator to the committee. She has worked in public schools for 18 years, 15 of them in the Somerset and Somerset Berkley Regional School districts, in roles ranging from a classroom teacher to a high school content coordinator.

“Having worked in the districts for so long, I have a deep understanding of the issues facing our schools and community, the challenges that teachers and students face and the opportunities available to build upon our already incredible district,” she said.

Nasto, who lost election to the School Committee last year by a few dozen votes, said fiscal responsibility would be high on his list of priorities if elected. The committee and town will need to balance dealing with the loss of revenue from the Brayton Point Power Plant with finding ways to encourage paraprofessionals and other educators to stay in Somerset instead of moving to other towns.

“I think we need to work on keeping our talent in-district,” he said.

Gaw said he plans to focus on managing the school department’s capital facilities and repair funds to make needed repairs on the town’s elementary schools, and to grow the district’s special education department. Somerset has made progress on keeping high-needs special education students in district instead of sending them to other towns for school, but they could do more to keep Somerset students in town, he said.

“It’s a great thing for kids because they get to stay with their family and friends and stay in their community,” he said.

In the two other contested races in Somerset, incumbent Lucia Casey and Jessica Machado are both running for town moderator. Incumbent Scott O’Brien is not seeking reelection to the Water and Sewer Commission, while Robert Lima and James Mello are both running for one open seat.

Also on the ballot is Michael Correia, who is running to be reelected to the Board of Assessors, Richard Fenstermaker running for the Somerset/Berkley Regional School Committee, and Robert Camara for the Playground and Recreation Commission. Dolores Bence is running for another term as town clerk and Gary Simons is seeking another term on the Planning Board. Thomas Potter is looking to be elected to the Housing Authority after being appointed last year to fill an empty seat. Incumbent Kim Forbes and newcomer Norbert Dionne are running for two available seats on the Trustees of the Public Library.

Swansea

Swansea’s town election will be Monday, April 10. Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at Joseph Case High School, 70 School St.

The only contested election in Swansea will be for the School Committee. Incumbents Thomas Rodrigues Jr. and Sonya Barbosa returned papers to run for two available seats, as did Frank Baptista Jr.

Several incumbents are running unopposed for reelection: Steven Kitchin for the Board of Selectmen, Timothy Cabral for the Board of Assessors, Town Moderator Paul Burke, Wayne Dias for Tree Warden and Scott Adams for the Planning Board. Angela Dolan and Maureen Pacheco are both running to be reelected to two open seats on the Board of Library Trustees.

Three candidates are in the running for three open positions on the Sewer Commission — James Pelletier, Paul Waple and Richard Cunha.

Three town bodies — the Community Preservation Committee, a one-year term on the Planning Board and the Park Commission — will have an open seat in the upcoming election, but no candidates. Two candidates, Chad Rosen and Paul Waple, are in the running for three open constable seats.

Westport

Westport’s town election will be Tuesday, April 11. There are five different polling locations — Our Lady Of Grace Hall, the town hall annex, Alice A Macomber School, the Briggs Road Fire Station and the former Westport High School.

Voters can find their assigned polling location by entering their address in the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website.

Two races in Westport will be contested. For the Board of Selectmen, incumbent Steve Ouellette, Christopher Thrasher and Manuel Soares are running to fill two open seats. Incumbent selectman Brian Valcourt is not seeking reelection.

Three candidates are in the running for two positions for the Library Board of Trustees: Paul Cabral, incumbent Pauline Dooley and Paula Feitelberg.

Most of the elections will be uncontested. These include: Peter McGarr running for the Board of Assessors, Donna Amaral running for the Board of Health, Evan Gendreau for the Westport School Committee, incumbent Paul Jennings running for the Diman Regional School Committee, incumbent Sean Leach running for fish commissioner, incumbent Wendy Henderson for the Board of Landing Commissioners and incumbent John Bullard for the Planning Board. Incumbents Marshall Ronco and Arthur Caesar are running to fill two available seats for constable.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Local elections are next week in Somerset, Swansea and Westport