Wareham's 'new day' begins this Tuesday
By Steve Decosta
sdecosta@s-t.com
April 11, 2010 12:00 AM

WAREHAM — "It's a new day in Wareham," Stephen Holmes declared after rising to the top of the town's political mountain.

Holmes, a 50-year-old businessman making his first run for elective office, and Cara Winslow, a 36-year-old union representative, rode a strong tide of voter discontent to seats on the Board of Selectmen in last week's town election. They handily defeated incumbents Bruce Sauvageau and John Cronan in campaigns that played out bitterly and angrily in the local press and on local Web sites.

With Frank DeFelice also on the ballot, challengers collected 4,836 votes to the incumbents' 2,511.

Three-term moderator John Donahue also felt the voters' wrath, losing to Claire Smith, while Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva was the only incumbent returned to office.

Even after the voting there's still anger in the community — one only has to check out a few of those Web sites for evidence of that — but now there's something else as well.

There's hope; hope that the political divisiveness can be overcome, hope that the government can function more openly and respectfully, hope that Wareham's employees and citizens can relax and get on with their business.

"I think the voters heard my message, that the community really wants people to work together," Winslow said. "I didn't run in this election to work against people."

The holdovers on the board are hopeful as well.

"Hopefully they'll jump in the boat, grab an oar and start to row in the same direction," Jane Donahue said of her two newest colleagues. "Otherwise we'll just be rowing in circles."

"I agree with Cara," Donahue continued. "At the end of the day we all want the same thing."

The campaign

"I think it was a perfect storm of events," Selectman Brenda Eckstrom said of the campaign and balloting that bounced her two colleagues.

First, "There's an overall anti-incumbent sentiment out there," a reflection of what's happening nationally and across the state, she said.

Second, "The incumbents didn't work as hard as they could have," Eckstrom offered. "This has been a trying year or so. We've been attacked from all sides all the time. I don't know if the incumbents didn't have the gumption to put up a fight."

And finally, "Cara and Steve ran great campaigns. They were active. They were visible. They beat the bushes," Eckstrom said.

Holmes admitted to being surprised by the scale of his victory. "I thought we would do well, but I didn't expect to come in first in every precinct and to be the top vote-getter, especially my first time out," he said.

"We were campaigning for April 6 and never really thinking about what was going to happen on April 7," he continued. "I've never been one to take things for granted, so I didn't think about what was going to happen after I was elected."

What happens now?

The first test of how this will operate will come on Tuesday night, when the reshaped board will come together for the first time — if it can figure out how to convene. The ousted incumbents served as chairman and clerk, so there are no holdover officers.

"I don't even know how we open the meeting," Eckstrom said. "We don't have a chairman. We don't have a clerk. I'll be doing a little research before Tuesday."

Once they do get going, "It's the first chance for the public to see the five of us working together," Winslow said. "Some people want to make this about people and personalities. It's not about that. It's about keeping services flowing to the community."

"I think people are really excited to see new faces and hear fresh ideas," Winslow said.

Walter Cruz, the fifth member of the board, said, "I'm a positive person, so I think things are going to be positive. We're all in this together and we're all going to act in the best interest of the town."

Donahue said she doesn't think a whole lot has changed. "The issues haven't changed, just the composition of the board. Frankly, I don't see a whole lot of difference in goals and objectives," said Donahue, likely the next board chairman.

"Under the protocol that's been followed in the past, I should be up in the rotation," she said.

Holmes is carrying a burden from his election victory. "People expect now that I'm going to deliver and I plan to work every day for the next three years to do it," he said.

But he also wants to place some of that burden back into the hands of people who voted for him. "I have to find a way to bring those 2,000 people with me," Holmes said. "It's great that they voted for me, but five (selectmen) can't do it alone."

"I have a lot of questions about how some decisions were made," such as leasing the town's new police cruisers and making interim police Chief Richard Stanley the town's full time chief, Holmes said. "I'm going to have to vote on these things, so I want to know how the decisions were made. Who made those decisions? Who sat in the room? How many other people did they talk to? And, if they didn't do any of that, why not? People want that stuff to be done out in the open."

Holmes also promised that "people will get the whole story. People need to know."

Setting a new tone

During the campaign, Holmes and DeFelice made an issue of the way the town was treating its employees and citizens, saying the community was rife with distrust and fear.

"Whether it's real or perceived, I think there were people there who felt that because you agree with one person and not the other that your job may be on the line. They were looking for respect and didn't feel they were getting it. And I think there were some citizens who were feeling the same way."

"I think that mood has changed," he said after a walk-through to introduce himself to many town employees. "I think, people are cautiously optimistic, hopeful that things are going to be a little more respectful."

Andrews said that shift began when he was hired as town administrator. "We've already begun to shift the culture and climate," he said. "We started shifting direction back in December. It's about respect."

Eckstrom, who has been the victim of vicious attacks on the Internet, said she doesn't understand the depth of the anger some individuals feel.

"I got on the board to try to do what was in the best interest in the community," she said. "I can disagree with people. I disagree with a lot of them. We can have a passionate fight and I might be ticked but we'll still be able to talk about it the next day. I don't understand how the hate and spite come into it. I don't have that for anyone."

The new selectmen received congratulatory calls from their new colleagues and the town administrator, something that hasn't always occurred in the past.

Eckstrom said that when she was first elected in 2005 no board members reached out to her. "No one called. The town administrator said he couldn't meet with me. I had to go in cold. I promised myself I would never do that to anyone."

Andrews said he's met with new Moderator Smith about the upcoming town meeting and he's planning an orientation for the new selectmen.

The big challenge

Everyone is hoping the annual town meeting on April 26 goes more smoothly than in October, the last time the town's legislative body was called to order.

"Raucous" and "rowdy" are the terms most often used to describe what many who attended say was a definite lack of decorum.

"Town meeting is going to set the tone," new Moderator Smith said. "I know I have a big responsibility. I think the attitude is going to change tremendously."

"It's up to us to set an example," Winslow said. "If we treat each other respectfully I think people who attend town meeting will follow suit.

Holmes said, "I don't expect rowdiness at town meeting. I expect lively debate. Good debate is good for a town and that's the place you do it."

Eckstrom said, "I think it will be much calmer (this year). The people who were unruly got their candidates elected."

"It should be smooth all the time," Cruz said. "If some group wants to create dissension they can try, but it takes two to argue."

Last edited by old timer (2010-04-11 00:37:25)