One contested race in April 1 Town Election

Abby Van Selous

Mar 25, 2025

File photo.

The annual Town Election is less than a week away, and although the Board of Health race is the only one contested, the two candidates set to face off on April 1 are quite different.

Chester Tam was inspired to run after he was let go from his job for refusing to get the Covid vaccine, and now he wants to ensure public health issues are rooted in science and facts rather than political agendas.

Susan Murray is running because she believes Dartmouth’s well-being starts with its farms and small businesses and wants to bring her voice and perspective as a farmer to the Board.

Incumbent Board of Health chair Michelle Keith had intended to run, but after facing complications with her nomination papers decided not to pursue reelection.

Working first as a systems analyst for five years at Massachusetts General Hospital and later as a systems engineer for four years in the radiology department at Mass General Brigham, Tam was trained in biohazard waste management, sanitation and how to make sure everything is kept safe while in a work environment.

In 2021, after the hospital let him go for refusing to get the Covid vaccine, Tam began to speak out online about what he felt was a wrongful termination and ultimately drew him to get more involved in local issues.

Tam said these experiences prompted him to run for the Board of Health, calling it his “landing spot.”

He added that he has “a lot” of background in health related topics because of his experiences in the restaurant business, education and in the hospital environment.

Tam would also like to ensure that there’s transparency so people have the “overall picture” and can make informed decisions about their own health.

For the past 14 years, Murray has worked to establish and grow her farm throughout Dartmouth. Now she is looking to bring her experiences as a farmer and small business owner to the Board of Health if elected.

“I think it’s important to be represented,” she said.

Murray said that while she realizes there’s a “small number” of farmers in Dartmouth, they are “a part of what helps maintain the open space here, helps maintain the beauty, but also growing our own food — it really is important.”

Murray also sees running for the Board of Health seat as part of her “civic duty,” adding that she feels “very connected with this town.”

“I think it’s important to be involved in town politics, and I feel like this is somewhere that I can bring some expertise and knowledge and can be a reasonable voice,” she said.

Serving on the town’s Agricultural Commission for around nine years, Murray said she’s been introduced to how the town works and understands the Board of Health’s permitting process.

“We were often the people that would go talk and negotiate between the town and the farmer, kind of educating the town about why a farmer is doing something in a particular way,” she said.

She added that the Commission would then have to come up with a “reasonable solution between the town and the farmer because sometime’s there’s friction there.”

While with the Commission, Murray also worked with animal control, performing yearly barn checks, adding whenever an animal control problem that dealt with a farm arose, it was brought to the Commission to handle.

Murray said as a farmer she needs to be “up on all the regulations and what the latest food safety rulings are” to ensure she doesn’t make anyone sick.

“As far as health and safety related to food, I’m up to date on that,” she said.

Two Select Board seats, two School Committee seats, two Trustee of Free Public Libraries seats, two Planning Board seats, one assessor’s seat, one moderator seat and two Parks and Recreation Board seats are also on the ballot, with all contenders running unopposed.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To vote, residents should visit their voting location, which is determined by which precinct they live in.

Voting locations are as follows: