Meet Your Candidates: Rehoboth Local Election

The annual town election will be held on April 4 and there will be two contested races – for one seat on the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee and for one seat on the Water Commission. In the school committee race, Richard Barrett, the incumbent, is running for re-election for his fifth term. He was nominated at the Republican Town Committee Caucus in February. Barrett is being challenged by Michelle Enos who is running as an Independent. Enos, a member of the Cemetery Commission, is seeking her first elected office. Profiles of the two candidates follow:

Richard Barrett
Barrett is seeking another term on the school committee because he wants to continue to support the students in the district and provide them with the highest quality of education possible. “I want to see all our schools at Level 1,” Barrett said. “I’m not a numbers person, but I believe in providing kids the best education possible.” Barrett is currently a member of the negotiations sub-committees working on a new teachers’ contract and paraprofessionals’ contract. “There’s still things I want to do,” Barrett said.
Barrett drove a school bus in the district for 17 years. He retired about two years ago. He has been a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for several years. He also volunteers his time to the Rehoboth Cable TV Advisory Committee which runs the cable access channels in town. He is also a member of the Rehoboth Lions Club. “I’ve been involved in the town in some way for most of the time I’ve lived here,” Barrett said.
Barrett believes strongly that the arts are an important part of a well-rounded education. He has been playing music most of his life. He often plays guitar at local events and open mics in the area. “I hate it when they have to make cuts and they cut the arts and music program,” Barrett said.
Barrett’s children are grown now, but he always taught them the importance of reading and he continues to be a strong advocate for reading. “I want to see our kids reading more. Reading helps increase vocabulary and helps them learn to write. They should be encouraged to always have something to read,” Barrett said.
He also believes the schools should offer something for every student, whether the student is a straight-A student or not. Barrett says he is looking forward to helping move the district forward. “We have a school committee and an administration now that know how to get things done and I want to be part of that for another three years,” he said.

Melissa Enos
Melissa Enos decided to run for school committee because she believes in the importance of civic responsibility. She is a parent with three daughters in the school system. Two of them currently attend the high school and her oldest graduated from D-R in 2013.
Enos has always been involved in her children’s education. For years she has volunteered in her children’s classrooms and for various school activities. She is currently President of the Friends of the D-R Marching Band. Her daughters Sara and Caroline are both involved with the band. Last year she was instrumental in getting the high school to add a community service award to its new junior year award ceremony. The award, which Enos sponsors, is called the Civic Legacy Award and it goes to a junior who is involved in community-related activities. “People who have kids in the school system are more aware of what’s going on in the schools on a daily basis,” Enos said.
Enos is a newcomer to politics, but she has experience with town government. She worked as an administrative assistant in the Town Planner’s office. She is currently a member of the Cemetery Commission and volunteers for the Rehoboth Land Trust. She also has experience working for non-profits and doing fundraising.
Enos is the ex-wife of former Police Chief Stephen Enos, but they were divorced before Stephen became police chief. “I am aware there may still be strong feelings regarding my ex-husband in the town, but I would hope it would not influence anyone's vote for me,” Enos said.
Enos said if she is elected, her first priority will be to learn about the school committee and the budget processes and procedures. “The school committee budget is the lion’s share of the town budget. I feel one of the responsibilities of the school committee is accountability and oversight,” Enos said. “I hope to be a channel for residents who may not have children in the schools, but want to ensure their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent wisely,” she added. She wants to work on keeping students in the district. “We want the schools to be amazing. We should all want to contribute to the “D-R Difference,” Enos said. “We lose a lot of kids to private schools. I don’t want to lose as many kids as we do. I want to look into that.”
Enos is looking forward to the possibility of serving on the school committee. “It’s easier to accomplish great things if we work with each other instead of against each other,” Enos said.