Michael Deignan for Selectman

Fellow residents of Rehoboth,

 For more than ten years, I have served you as a town constable and as a member of the Finance Committee, holding the position of Chairman for nine of those years. Many of you know me from the various financial summits presented over the years and from speaking on articles at our town meetings. Now, I seek your support for election to the Board of Selectmen (BOS).

 With Gerry Schwall's departure from the BOS after two terms, it is important to have an individual on the Board with a financial background, someone who can provide good financial guidance to the Board. With the COVID pandemic potentially having an adverse effect on Rehoboth’s revenue sources, and the town’s ongoing construction projects, the town needs an individual on the BOS who understands the Town's financial landscape and can work to keep governmental costs under control.

 For the past twelve years, on the Finance Committee I have worked diligently to keep the growth of government low, thus avoiding unnecessary Proposition 2 1/2 tax increases. Such increases disproportionately affect our elderly and fixed-income residents. With the cost of town government itself, collectively we (FinCom, BOS, and you the voter) have been successful in this endeavor. We did have, and will continue to have in the future, challenges with our regional school system assessment, which oftentimes, sadly, increases at a rate beyond our ability to pay within the confines of our regular Proposition 2 1/2 annual tax levy increases.

 When I became involved in town government over a decade ago, I did so with two underlying principles: a) always put the interests of the Town of Rehoboth and its residents first and foremost in every decision; and b) "do no harm" -- or, put another way, always leave things in a better place than when you found them. Since my very first appointment as a member of the Revenue Enhancement Task Force with Gerry and others in the late 2000’s, these two principles have guided every decision I have made as an elected and appointed public official.

 I would like to bring these two principles with me and work for you on the Board of Selectmen. As such, I ask for your vote in this April's town election.

 If you would like to learn more about me, the goals I will work for as your Selectman, and my vision of Rehoboth’s future, please visit my website at http://voteformike.info. I am always open to communication, via telephone and email, the details of which are available there.

 I thank you for your consideration. Most importantly, I thank you for allowing me to serve you and the Town for these past twelve years. It has been a true honor and I am keen to continue.

 Kind regards,
Michael P. Deignan