People

Meet Greg Hardy

First-time candidate Greg Hardy is running for one of two open seats on the Rochester School Committee. According to a statement released by Hardy, he is the son of a retired teacher and grew up in Acushnet where he attended elementary and junior...

Meet Joe Pires

Incumbent Joe Pires is running for his third term on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. Pires said he has been a resident of Rochester for 21 years and that “it has been a blessing to have been able to raise children in a community that...
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Meet James O’Brien

James O’Brien is running for a seat on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. Previously, O’Brien served for nine years on the Committee, taught at New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School and also worked as theNew Bedford...

Meet Kate Duggan

Incumbent Kate Duggan is running for her second term on the Rochester School Committee. She said that after learning the ropes during her first term she is “definitely in a good place to have more of a voice” on the School Committee. She said that...

Meet Anne Fernandes

Incumbent Anne Fernandes is running for her third term on the Rochester School Committee. Fernandes, who had worked as a special education teacher for 22 years, said she “didn’t want to jump out entirely” from the world of education and that “...

Meet Sydney Teixeira

First-time candidate Sydney Teixeira is running for one of two open seats on the Rochester School Committee. If elected, she would be the first “Generation Z” candidate elected to office in Rochester. People in “Generation Z” are between the ages of...

Meet Jane Taylor

First-time candidate Jane Taylor has thrown her hat in the ring for a seat on the Rochester Board of Library Trustees. Taylor said she has over 50 years of experience in education including 23 years as an early childhood coordinator in the Old...

Meet Heather Alford

Heather Alford, who is running for a seat on the Rochester Board of Library Trustees, said that she was excited by the “new energy” surrounding the library. “I would love the opportunity to play a part in overseeing library activities and helping [...

Meet Sarah Verbyla

As a licensed pharmacist who now works in IT for health care services, Sarah Verbyla hopes to get more involved with the library as a trustee. She is running for a seat on the Rochester Board of Library Trustees. Verbyla said that she has learned...

Meet John DeMaggio

Incumbent John Demaggio is running for his fourth term on the Planning Board and has lived in Rochester for 17 years. Demaggio said that his background working for the United States Navy and in the telecommunications field have helped him in his...

Meet Dennis McCarthy

Second-time candidate Dennis McCarthy is vying for a spot on the Rochester Planning Board. “I have run one time and missed it by a few votes and I decided to throw my hat in again,” said McCarthy. With experience as both an explosive ordnance...

Meet Ben Bailey

Ben Bailey is running for his fourth term on the planning board and has lived in Rochester for almost 40 years. “During my experience on the board we have seen everything from the first solar farms that came into Rochester, large subdivisions, small...

Meet Paul Criscuolo

As a member of the Mattapoisett Republican Party and a lover of books, Paul Criscuolo said that he decided to run for the open seat on the Library Board of Trustees to get more involved with the community. “I saw that Democrats have been doing such...

Meet Frances-Feliz Kearns

Incumbent Frances-Feliz Kearns is running for her second term on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. She was first elected in 2020 and, according to Kearns, established herself as a “successful negotiator, engaged community member and...

Meet Richard Reilly

Mattapoisett candidate Richard Reilly is running for a seat on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. According to Reilly, he is running for a seat on the Committee for four main reasons: to improve the quality of education in the district,...

Meet William Coquillette

President of the Mattapoisett Library Trust Bill Coquillette is looking to expand his involvement with the library by running for the open position on the board of trustees. “I want to be more involved in managing the library,” said Coquillette. The...

Meet Ruth Jolliffee

Incumbent Ruth Jolliffee has been a board member on the library trust for over 10 years. Jolliffee said that she oversaw the moving and arranging of books after the Mattapoisett Free Public Library was rebuilt in 2008, afterwards she was asked to be...

Meet Woody Hartley

ROCHESTER — Two candidates are running for one seat on the Rochester Select Board. Incumbent Woody Hartley is running for his third term on the Select Board. Hartley said that he originally ran for Select Board in 2017 because he felt that Rochester...

Meet Adam Murphy

ROCHESTER — Two candidates are running for one seat on the Rochester Select Board. Marion Deputy Harbormaster and Shellfish Officer Adam Murphy is running for a seat on the Rochester Select Board for a third time this coming election. “I lost by one...

Meet David Pierre

MATTAPOISETT — Two candidates are facing off for one seat on the Mattapoisett School Committee. First time candidate David Pierre is running for office because he “cares deeply about the education that children receive” in Mattapoisett. As a middle...

Meet Carly Lavin

MATTAPOISETT — Two candidates are facing off for one seat on the Mattapoisett School Committee. Incumbent Carly Lavin is running for reelection for the simple reason that “my kids go to these schools.” According to Lavin, she first got involved with...

Meet Brian Connelly

MATTAPOISETT— Three candidates are running to fill one spot on the Mattapoisett Select Board in the town election on Tuesday, May 16. Mattapoisett Fire Lieutenant Brain Connelly hopes to apply his experience serving the public as a firefighter and “...

Meet Tyler Macallister

MATTAPOISETT— Three candidates are running to fill one spot on the Mattapoisett Select Board in the town election on Tuesday, May 16. Tyler Macallister is running for what he believes will be his last term on the board where he hopes to see the long...

Meet Catherine Heuberger

MATTAPOISETT— Three candidates are running to fill one spot on the Mattapoisett Select Board in the town election on Tuesday, May 16. Having worked in Town Hall for 18 years, Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger has decided to throw her hat in the ring...

Meet Margaret McSweeny

MARION — Two candidates are facing off to be Marion’s representative on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. Incumbent Margaret McSweeny is running for her second term on the Committee. She was first elected in 2020 and has navigated...

Meet Jennifer Stewart

MARION — Two candidates are facing off to be Marion’s representative on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. Jennifer Stewart is a first-time candidate who is running to offer “stability” to the district. “It really became obvious to me that...

Meet Mirian Nawoichik

MARION — The race is on for two open seats on the Marion School Committee, and three local residents have declared their candidacy for the posts. First-time candidate Mirian Nawoichik has joined the race for a seat on the Marion School Committee...

Meet Nichole Nye McGaffey

MARION — The race is on for two open seats on the Marion School Committee, and three local residents have declared their candidacy for the posts. Incumbent Nichole Nye McGaffey is running for her second term on the Marion School Committee. She was a...

Meet Mary Beauregard

MARION — The race is on for two open seats on the Marion School Committee, and three Marion residents have declared their candidacy for the posts. Incumbent Mary Beauregard is running for her second term on the Marion School Committee. She was first...

First month has been ‘non-stop’ for Marion Town Administrator

MARION — Marion Town Administrator Geoff Gorman likes to hit the ground running every day. “I try to show up early, before the building opens … I like to have that quiet time.” During his first month on the job, Gorman has been in nearly “non-stop”...

‘A fin, a tail and thrashing water:’ Dolphin rescue at Ned’s Point Beach

MATTAPOISETT — Elissa Roberg was not expecting to swim with the dolphins during her usual beachside walk around Ned’s Point in Mattapoisett on Friday, March 10. Self-proclaimed animal lover Roberg stepped into action when she spotted something “...

Gilda Downey leaves behind legacy of music, self expression

MARION — Whether it was her brightly colored hair or her welcoming personality, local legend Gilda Downey, 98, left an impact on her community in the many years before her death on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Downey owned and operated Gilda’s Stone Rooster for...

Fundraiser planned for hometown hero Becket Kiernan

ROCHESTER — Becket Kiernan’s mother, Lynda, remembers her son as a “scholar warrior,” and she hopes that with the installation of a memorial in his hometown of Rochester, residents of the Tri-Town will as well. Kiernan, 18, was a United States...

Life at 103: Rochester’s oldest resident honored

ROCHESTER — In the year 1919 European powers signed the Treaty of Versailles, the United States ratified the prohibition on alcohol, and current Rochester resident Mary Bellotti was born. Bellotti was honored on Wednesday, Jan. 4 as Rochester’s...

Brodie strong: Marion family battles childhood cancer

MARION — Brodie Yeaw is a 12-year-old student at Sippican School in Marion. Like many children his age, he loves sports — hockey and lacrosse in particular — and playing the video game Fortnite with his friends. In July 2021, his parents, Katie and...