With Wareham Water District elections just over a week away, candidates vying for spots on the Wareham Board of Water Commissioners and the Fire Prudential Committee made their pitches to residents this Friday, April 5. 

On the Board of Water Commissioners, the entity that oversees the Wareham Water Department, two candidates are campaigning for one seat. Incumbent Richard England is running against challenger Sean Preston.

England, who owns Legacy Insurance Agency in Wareham, said his experience having served on both the Board of Water Commissioners and on the Fire Prudential Committee make him the optimal choice as a candidate. “I’ve been doing it for 13 years with the prudential district, and I’ve been doing it for nine years with the water district.” 

Preston, owner of Coverall Law in Wareham, said he makes for a good choice because he has experience in business, finance, law and has served on non-profit boards. And, he added: “If there’s one thing I want to be remembered for, it’s service.” 

England said that the Board is already “doing a great job” at coming up with improvements to address specific issues. “We’re already doing what needs to be done,” he said. 

Preston said if he were elected, his focus would be on “strategic objectives” such as “purchases of land” and “prioritizing the replacement of [water] lines.” 

As for the decision to spend around $1 million dollars on acquiring cranberry boglands, England said the purchase “to protect our well heads” was one of the Board’s accomplishments. 

Preston said, “It was a steal of a deal. We need that sustainability for Wareham. As the numbers go, the goal is to have the fairest prices when it comes to Wareham water.” 

Preston also stated that he would be a representative for the younger generation on the board. “If we want more young people to show up to these meetings, why don’t we have a commissioner that’s around their age?” he asked. 

If he were to be re-elected, England said he would do his “best to continue doing the things that make the water district something people are proud of.”

 Fire Prudential Committee:

For Wareham’s Fire Prudential Committee, the entity that oversees the district as a whole, four candidates are in the running for two spots. Incumbent Brian Crocker is running against challengers Joyce Bacchiocchi, Steven Curry, and Alan Slavin. 

Alan Slavin was unable to attend, but submitted a written statement that was shared during the forum. Brian Crocker was not present for the event and did not share a written statement.

Bacchiocchi, who currently serves as a member of the School Committee, said she would be a good candidate because of her background in business administration, financing and human resources. 

She added that she takes the responsibility of making decisions that affect taxpayers “very seriously,” and that she considers this position “to be a job.” 

Curry said he is running because he “wants to support the fire department,” and would be a good candidate because of his experience serving on the Board of Assessors for 30 years, and his personal connections to the firefighting field. 

“I do have the background and experience for getting things done,” he said. 

Slavin has served as a member of the Select Board for 12 years, and has worked closely with both the Fire and Water District, he noted in his statement. He also has a lot of experience serving on boards at the state, county and regional level, he noted. Slavin is not running for re-election to the Wareham Select Board. 

“These positions have allowed me to provide substantial assistance for Wareham achieving success in receiving grants, technical assistance, and transportation needs,” he wrote in a statement that was shared during the forum. “I hope to find ways to bring the same success to the Wareham Fire and Water District.” 

Bacchiocchi stated that building a new fire station was “a number one priority as far as capital improvements go.” She added that she would also be “interested in being part of the discussion” to address problems with recruiting more firefighters to the department. 

Curry said that one of the biggest challenges the fire department is facing is “the expansion of the town.” The increase in housing units with recent projects, he said, means “the fire department has to expand. If there’s no place to house them, and there’s not enough staff, that’ll be an issue.” 

Slavin stated that he would not accept the yearly pay nor the paid insurance of the Prudential Committee office if he was elected. “The compensation is a yearly salary... and health insurance which the district pays the substantial majority of the cost (cost to district tax payers over $30K per year). Also, if a Prudential Committee member serves 10 years, they become grandfathered into the insurance forever,” Slavin wrote.

As for the question of merging Wareham and Onset fire districts, Slavin said, “no one person can make this happen. The only way this issue would happen is if the voters of each district put forth a ballot question. That hasn’t happened in over 100 years.” 

Curry responded that while the idea looks good “on paper,” given the history of Wareham and Onset wanting to remain separate, “it might not happen in our lifetime.”