With more time on his hands after retiring from his job at Moran Towing, Paul Ciaburri decided it was time to give back to the town he loves.

“I’m retired now, so I have more time to serve the town,” he said. “With my schedule before, I couldn’t hold a board position. I’ve never had any political aspirations, I just don’t want to see the town change too much.”

Ciaburri moved to town almost 40 years ago after growing up in New Bedford.

“I like it here,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of places and there’s nowhere I like more.”

While unable to hold an elected position in the past, Ciaburri is a longtime firefighter in Rochester, as well as the Emergency Management Director. This experience with the town is something he thinks gives him a better understanding of how things work.

“A lot of times when people get into the selectmen’s spot they don’t know what goes on underneath, and how everything gets done,” he said.

As a chief engineer in the Merchant Marines, Ciaburri said he learned a lot about how to deal with conflict and how to deal with people.

“You have to listen to everybody,” he said. “Then you have to decide what’s going to work. You have to pick your battles. If you sit there and say it’s not feasible, most people will understand. You just have to listen to people and you’ll get what you need.”

One area in particular where Ciaburri thinks there should have been more input from people is the 911 regionalization agreement.

“That should have gone in front of Town Meeting and not have been a selectmen decision,” he said. “More stuff should go in front of the town. People should decide on large matters that could effect them greatly.”

Ultimately, Ciaburri said he just hopes to be able to make a difference.

“If I can do more for the town, then I’ll give it a whirl,” he said.

The town election is slated for April 11.