MATTAPOISETT — The town of Mattapoisett will see four contested races on the ballot for the May 16 town election.

There are contested races for Select Board, Old Rochester Regional School Committee, Mattapoisett School Committee, and the Public Library Board of Trustees.

Three nominees are running for a position on the Select Board including incumbent Tyler Macallister, Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and Mattapoisett Firefighter Brian Connelly.

Macallister has served on the Select Board since 2011 and took a “brief leave” in 2019 to pursue the then open Town Administrator role.

According to Macallister, he was elected as chair in 2022 and has worked with the town to improve its financial health.

 “It always makes me feel good when the town does well,” Macallister said. 

Connelly plans to use his background in financial services to help with the role. 

“I feel I could be helpful with basic accounting, credits and debits making sure everything ticks and ties,” said Connelly “I'm very particular with the kind of operational issues and accountability that surrounds those issues.”

As well as running for a seat on the Select Board, Heuberger is running to keep her position as Mattapoisett Town Clerk. 

According to Heuberger, because both positions are elected she is allowed to hold them simultaneously. Heuberger said that she cleared the issue with the State Ethics Commision before submitting her nomination papers. 

“I feel like I have a lot of good insight after having worked for the town for 18 years,” said Heuberger. 

Both the Mattapoisett School Committee and Old Rochester Regional School Committee will see contested races this year. David Pierre is running against incumbent Carly Lavin for a spot on the Mattapoisett School Committee. 

As a math teacher, Pierre hopes to share his perspective with the committee. 

“I want to ensure that students are safe, budgets are handled responsibly and transparently, and matters are addressed primarily with the benefit of families and children in mind, not with partisan political agendas,” said Pierre. 

Lavin hopes to continue her work with the Mattapoisett School Committee since becoming Chairperson in June 2022.  

“I have worked collaboratively with the Town Administrator to strengthen the partnership between the schools and the town while fulfilling my duties as Chairperson to ensure compliance with town by-laws and improve financial transparency,” Lavin said. 

For a seat on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee Richard Reily is running against incumbent Frances-Feliz Kearns. 

Kearns has served on the District Committee since 2020.

“I am running for reelection to continue to support the work that the diversity committee has undertaken, as well as broadening the amount of STEM opportunities for the district,” said Kearns.

Old Rochester Regional alum Richard Reilly said that he hopes to encourage family involvement and raise academic standards.

“As a School Committee member I'm hoping to get a clear understanding of where are things today versus where they were when I was there or my kids where there,” said Reily referring to academic standards. 

Three candidates are running for two open positions on the Board of Library Trustees. Incumbent Ruth Jolliffee is running against Paul Criscuolo and William Coquillette. 

Jollifee hopes to continue as a library trustee. 

“I appreciate the vital role of trustees as overseers, working with management and staff to make

the best decisions for the future,” said Jollifee. 

William Coquillette believes that his role as President of the Mattapoisett Library Trust will help him with the role of a trustee. 

“I have substantial experience on board service, both for profit and nonprofit organizations,” Coquillette said. “So I think I could bring valuable experience to the board.”

Candidate Paul Criscuolo was the former chair of the Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee.

“I have a long track record of community service, leadership and committee involvement and I understand the role of the Trustees as a resource for the Public Library leadership,” said Criscuolo.

 Wiliam Wennerberg is running unopposed for a five-year position on the Planning Board. 

Wennerberg hopes to bring his previous experience serving as Vice-Chairman for the Planning Board and Conservation Commission in Plymouth. 

“I have a pretty pretty wide ranging skill set for everything the planning board and the community encounters so I genuinely am interested in it,” said Wennerberg. 

Town Moderator John “Jack” Eklund did not plan to run again to keep his position as moderator but decided to run as a write-in candidate after he noticed no one else took out nomination papers. 

“It’s been a great honor to be elected for the past 20 years,” said Eklund. 

John Vaughn is running unopposed for his position on the Mattapoisett Housing Authority. 

“It allows me to get involved with the community in a way that's meaningful,” Vaughn said. 

Incumbents Michelle Hughes and Charles William Mccullough are both running to hold their positions on the Community Preservation Committee. Both were elected in 2017. Mccullough and Hughes did not respond to requests for comment. 

Running unopposed for Town Assessor is Ray Andrews.

“ I enjoy serving the people of Mattapoisett, it is my honor and privilege to have done so for the last 12 years,” he said.

Also running unopposed are incumbents Daniel Chase for a position as water/sewer commissioner, Carmelo Nicolosi for a position on the Board of Health. They did not respond to requests for comment.