ROCHESTER — Candidates for the Board of Health, Planning Board, ORR School Committee, Water Commission and Board of Assessors came out to Candidates Night on May 6.

Moderated by Selectman Woody Hartley, the event at the Rochester Council on Aging offered candidates for the May 26 Town Election an opportunity to state their platform and answer questions from the community.

Hartley started the night by noting there are three elected positions on the ballot with no official candidates: Moderator, Cemetery Commission and Rochester Memorial School Committee.

Hartley encouraged interested residents to launch write-in or “sticker” campaigns.

The first candidate speakers were Sarah Eby and incumbent Dale Barrows running for a contested Board of Health seat.

Eby spoke first, and noted was an 11-year resident and Assistant Scoutmaster to Boy Scout Troop 31.

Eby is a nurse by trade, which she said gives her the experience to do the job.

“I look at a lot of workflow,” she said, noting that a large part of her job is observing guidelines and “best practices,” skills she said she’d like to take “and bring to the Board of Health.”

Barrows, a 35-year resident, followed Eby.

He said he recently retired as the Mattapoisett Health Director, and noted that he’s been on the Board of Health for 24 years.

“I think I’ve done a good job serving the town and the board,” Barrows said. “Pretty much, there isn’t anything that can come up that I haven’t already dealt with.”

Following Eby and Barrows, unopposed candidates Jana Cavanaugh for Board of Assessors and Matthew Monteiro for ORR School Committee both gave brief statements.

Cavanaugh said she’s been an assessor for 33 years, and would be running for “probably one more term.”

“We have a great board in Rochester,” she said.

Monteiro said he’s running for the ORR School Committee in part because, “I believe the school’s the backbone of the Tri-Town.”

A stay-at-home dad with a ninth grade son, Monteiro noted his experience working in mental health and a brief stint as an accountant, which he said could help with budgeting for the committee.

“After this year, these kids need a lot of help,” he said.

Though the race for Planning Board is contested between Dennis McCarthy, incumbent Lee Carr and Marc Rousseau, only McCarthy was present at Candidates Night.

“Why you should pick me for Planning Board?” McCarthy said, “I’m the only one here.”

McCarthy noted he feels Rochester is at a “crossroads” regarding development, caught between solar and housing developments and a lack of industry in town.

As a developer himself, McCarthy said he could bring a “unique perspective” to the board.

“Bringing a development perspective — I think — is important for the board,” he said.

Last up, in the only discussion that brought questions from residents, were Selectman Brad Morse and David Hughes for a Water Commission position.

“The water is our most important commodity,” Hughes said.

The 60-year resident advocated for expanding the town’s water system, run by Wareham but sourced in Rochester, to include more residents and draw from North Rochester’s lakes.

When asked how an expansion would be paid for, Hughes kept his options open, noting usage fees on new connections and “financial agreements” as possibilities.

While Hughes was vague on how to pay for an expansion, he noted “I’m not sure I want to force anybody onto the water system.”

Hughes also noted Morse’s position as a Selectman, saying “it’s important to have someone on the board who’s a single vote.”

Morse didn’t address Hughes’ comment when he spoke. Instead, he focused on his time in public service in town, beginning in the 90s with a position on the Planning Board. He held that position until 2004, when he became a Selectman.

“I just think I can help out the board,” Morse said.

On the issue of expansion, Morse said he works with Wareham in its water district to help them expand.

“So I have experience on expanding things,” he said.