Rehoboth Selectmen Race

The contest for two open seats on the Rehoboth Board of Selectmen pits incumbent George Solas against two challengers, Richard Panofsky and David Perreira III. The election is April 2.

Profiles of the candidates are below.

Richard Panofsky
In his first bid for the Board, Panofsky boasts extensive experience in town government. “I’m a hard worker,” Panofsky noted. “I’ve contributed a lot of assistance to lots of people. One of the reasons I feel comfortable running is there’s a seat that is not being contested by an incumbent seeking re-election.” 

Panofsky currently chairs the Personnel Board, serves as clerk for both the Zoning Board of Appeals as well as the Board of Human Services and Community Health. He also represents Rehoboth with GATRA and chaired the ad-hoc Animal Advisory Committee and was clerk for the Municipal Building Study Committee.

Panofsky, a native of California, has been living in Rehoboth for 35 years. He had served as an administrator at UMASS Dartmouth. He is married and has two sons. “I love the outdoors and the town forest and the state forest,” Panofsky explained. “My wife and I have enjoyed meeting people. We’ve really enjoyed meeting dog owners. I particularly love the small-town feel of the place, the way people treat each other. I really felt welcome here.”

The town rejected a temporary tax increase to pay for a portion of the construction cost for the Bristol-Plymouth High School project. Selectmen have warned of potential cuts to town services as a result. “I’m not sure that all of the voters understood that we would be bound by what the other communities decide,” Panofsky said, noting his support for a tax increase would depend greatly on the circumstances.

Communication and transparency are also important to Panofsky. He would like to see the town website updated and annual reports to be issued again.

“I really enjoy finding out how things work,” Panofsky added. “I love ‘shop’ talking with people. Knowing and understanding is what’s needed before you leap in and start to find things wrong and criticize or make change.”

David Perreira
Perreira has served as Chairman of the town’s Zoning Board for the past five years. He graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth High School in 2000 and enlisted in the Marine Corps after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He later served two tours of duty in Iraq. “I love this town,” Perreira said. “I love the people of the town. I love the community. If there’s an issue, everyone come out and tries to help out.”

Perreira is married and has one son. He owns and operates a business in town. He graduated from Fitchburg State University, where he obtained a degree in business.

Perreira has an understanding of budgets and deadlines which he feels qualifies him to make tough decisions as a Selectman. The town will be required to pay a share of the construction costs for the new Bristol-Plymouth High School. “I feel pretty confident that I can help navigate the town through that,” he said.

“I really enjoy it,” Perreira says of his time on the Zoning Board. “I like being able to help the town and steer it in a positive direction.”

George Solas
Solas has previously served on the town’s Finance Committee and the Dighton-Rehoboth School Committee. Being a Selectman has been a rewarding experience for him and he wants to continue.

Solas and his family have lived in other states but he considers Rehoboth home. “It’s a conservative type of town, common sense, wonderful neighbors, everything,” Solas noted.  It was his love of community which motivated Solas to public service. “I wanted to give back,” he said. “I wanted to help maintain the same atmosphere that I grew up in.”

The town’s finances are solid due to conservative spending practices, Solas explained. “We’ve put money into a capital budget for maintaining and buying new buildings and it takes awhile to save it. It’s a long term event. The town right now has no debt. We own our Town Hall, fire station, police station, highway department, Council on Aging. We have no debt.” 

Solas is also proud of the relationship the town has with the school department. He praises Superintendent Bill Runey for being accessible to officials. “There isn’t a lot of screaming about budgets,” Solas said. “We’re all working together to make it happen. Our Superintendent is always in our towns. We’re working well with the schools. We’re making things work together.”