MATTAPOISETT — Each of the three candidates running for Selectmen bring diverse strengths. They include Kevin Ducharme, John DeCosta and Tyler Macallister.

Macallister brings eight and a half years of experience as a Selectman.

He was interested enough in the Town Administrator position to resign as Selectman in September, as the state ethics board dictated. But he always had the full intention of running for Selectman again if he was not chosen for the job (which ultimately went to Michael Lorenco).

In the time that Macallister was Selectman he said that he had a lot of projects in the works that the board was able to finance within budget and organize in a ten year plan.

One of those projects, a new fire station, is now close to a reality,

The former Selectman said that the job “can be a considerable amount of work,”  but that he has enjoyed it.

If elected for another term he would start looking at the senior population and how to support them, since the town has a lot of seniors.

He has always advocated for waterfront as focal point of the community and would continue to do so.

DeCosta doesn’t have the Selectman experience that Macallister does, but does have plenty of other municipal government experience.

He was a Mattapoisett firefighter for 17 years. DeCosta served on the Community Preservation Committee for 12 years, the Capital Planning Committee for 12 years, and was the co-chair of the Open Space and Recreation for two years. Most recently, he was on the Town Administrator Screening Committee that chose Lorenco.

He said that his family has a long history of serving the town. His father was a Selectman, his grandfather was involved in veteran’s affairs, and his grandmother was a nurse at Center School.

“I’ve got all that experience, and I want to use that experience for the town to face challenges coming up in the future,” he said.

He said that the things he would like to contribute to are affordable housing in the town, improving the town wharf, and working to make the town government more transparent for residents. 

He cited organizational skills and institutional knowledge as key strengths. “I’ve been going to town meetings since I was 19-years-old, and I’m 57 now,” he said.

When asked about why residents should vote for him, DeCosta said “I’d like to think I’m a new voice,” for the town.

Ducharme may not have the municipal experience that the other two candidates have, but as Owner and President of 508 Sport and Luxury, Inc in town, he feels he is a good representative of the business community.

He decided to run for the position after a handful of his customers recommended that he do so.

He feels that he is suited to the position because he is an empathetic communicator who listens well to others and has decades of business experience.

Although Ducharme didn’t grow up in Mattapoisett, he calls himself “lucky enough to choose it.” 

His interest in learning more about the town started by looking at its history.

As Selectman he would look for non-tax based revenue services to fund major projects, while still trying to keep the town’s natural beauty and “trying to make sure our taxes don’t go up.”