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Plainville, Wrentham, Seekonk, Rehoboth to pick town officers
![]() Signs for the upcoming election line the way on South Street in Wrentham (Staff photo by Martin Gavin)
Top Headlines Plainville, Wrentham, Seekonk and Rehoboth are holding their annual town elections. In Plainville, the lone race is for the position of town clerk, a role that will be vacated when longtime official Kathleen Sandland retires this spring after 33 years of service. The four candidates seeking the seat are former selectman and finance committee member Eugene Alsworth, Parks Director Maureen Dunfey, Assistant Assessor Ann Marie Eisele and Ellen Robertson, assistant town clerk in Wrentham and acting assistant town clerk in Norfolk. In Wrentham, there are contests for the board of selectmen and planning board. For the sole selectman's seat up, planning board member Robert Cohen, finance committee member Kenneth Arnold and longtime planning board member and conservation commission member George Smith are running. Cohen has set up his own Web site, tapping the Internet to an unprecedented level for a local election campaign. Selectman George Labonte isn't running for a second term. Four residents are looking to fill two seats on the planning board. Former planning board member Steven Marian and Selectman John Zizza hope to replace planning board members Patrick Moore and Glen Pisani. The incumbents share similar views, as do the challengers. The only ballot questions are in Seekonk, where residents will decide whether the town should adopt the Community Preservation Act and whether to retain or drop the residency requirement for town administrator, police chief, fire chief, and school superintendent. The Community Preservation Act establishes a fund for the acquisition of open space, preservation of historic properties and building of affordable housing. The money would come from a 1.25 percent surcharge on property taxes. There would be exclusions for residents who qualify for low-income housing and low or moderate income senior housing, as well as the first $100,000 of the value of each property. Norfolk is the only community in the area that has passed the Community Preservation Act. Seekonk voters also will decide whether to re-elect Selectmen Robert Richardson and Michael Brady. The two previously ran as a team and are being challenged by Francis Cavaco, a member of the finance committee who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2007. For planning board, Lee Dunn is challenging board member John Monk. Also, Arthur Foulkes is running against incumbent David Pitassi for the board of assessors. In the other contested race on the ballot, Cheryl Faria, Laura Calverley, and Deborah Bostian are vying for two seats on the library board of trustees. In neighboring Rehoboth, there are contests for the board of selectmen, planning board and school committee. Finance committee member Gerald Schwall and Kenneth Foley are vying for selectman. Selectman Stephen Martin is stepping down. Schwall ran against Selectman Christoper Morra Jan. 7 in an acrimonious recall election. Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional District School Committee. Incumbents Casey Hall and Mary Moriarty face challengers Jim Paon and Robyn Balents for two three-year terms, while incumbent Maureen Brawley faces challenger Fred Suzman for a one-year seat. Alan Gosselin and Erik Dykeman are competing for a one-year seat on the planning board. STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com. Correspondents Joseph S. Siegel and Lauren Carter contributed to this report.
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