Seekonk Selectmen Candidates

The race for two seats on the Seekonk Board of Selectmen in the April 5 election features five candidates including Nelson Almeida, Christopher Zorra, David Viera, Doug Brown, and Michael Healy. Profiles are below.

Healy, 54, served as the Seekonk Fire Chief for six years until his retirement last year. He feels selectmen need to do a better job following the policies and procedures they establish for everyone else. "They need to be accountable to the citizens who elected them,” Healy said. “They also need to be responsible for following the Town Charter as written.”

Healy, who was born and raised in Seekonk, vows to bring “honesty” and “commitment” to the board. In addition to serving with the fire department for 35 years, Healy also led the town’s Covid-19 Task Force in 2020.  Seekonk is a “pretty tight” community, Healy said. “The school system is phenomenal.”

Keeping taxes low so residents can afford to live in town is also important to Healy. “I look at things that need to be sustainable,” Healy noted. “We just can’t have everything that we need and want all the time. If we can’t afford it, then we can’t do it.”

Viera, 69, is employed as a truck driver and has served several terms on the board. He is also a former fire chief and served on the Veterans Memorial Park Committee. One of Viera’s goals is to control town spending. He feels the impact on local taxes is hurting residents on fixed incomes. “I think it’s starting to spiral out of control,” Viera said. “We need to keep business in town, not chase them out of town by collecting every dime that’s due. We have to do whatever we can to preserve what we have right now.”

Viera feels he has the experience needed to be a town leader. “You need the experience,” Viera said. “This is not the time to be bringing inexperienced people onto the Board of Selectmen.”

Almeida, 43, is a former selectman and operates his own heating business. One of his goals is to make Seekonk more affordable for residents, especially the elderly population. “The cost of living is increasing every year and its jeopardizing our seniors who want to stay in (Seekonk),” Almeida said.

Almeida said he would offer “fairness and transparency” to the board, and pledges to be a “team player.” Almeida is proud of his time on the board, noting the increased staffing of the police and fire departments, the completion of the new animal shelter, senior center, and the Banna fire station.

Zorra, 37, is employed as a truck driver and is completing his first term on the board. One of his goals is to secure the construction of a new facility for the Department of Public Works. Another is to work more closely with other town boards, including the school committee.

Zorra explained the biggest challenges during his time on the board has been navigating the coronavirus pandemic and finding suitable candidates to serve as the Police and Fire Chiefs. Zorra considers himself to be accessible and receptive to his constituents’ needs. “I always try to respond to everyone, whether it’s by phone call or-mail,” Zorra said. “I’m approachable. I’ll work with anyone as long as it’s for the best interest of the town.”

Brown, 61, has served on the Board of Health, the school committee, and the Water Commission. He hopes to bring “common sense” and “logic” to the board’s decision-making process. Brown also believes town government has grown too large for its own good: “We have an assistant town administrator at $90,000, we have a deputy fire chief at $100,000, we have a deputy police chief at $120,000. I think that’s over a quarter million dollars for three employees. We’re only a small town of 15,000 people. I would rather see that money spent on services.” Brown said he believes the voters are ready for some “fresh faces” on the board. Brown added, “I fully expect to win.”