Two-term incumbent John Haran said his reason for wanting to be elected to the Select Board a third time is simple: “Helping the people in our community is part of who I am.”

Haran was first elected to the Select Board in 2016. He also served on the Planning Board from 2005 to 2012 and the Finance Committee from 2012 to 2016.

The incumbent is currently employed by XIII Northeast Fishery Sector, Inc. and X Northeast Fishery Sector, Inc. as the Sector Manager controlling 89 commercial fishing federal permits from Beaufort, North Carolina to Scituate, Massachusetts.

He is also on the Dartmouth Fire District No. 1 Prudential Committee and acts as liaison between the governments of the Town of Dartmouth and Bristol County.

One of the biggest issues he said he hopes to tackle in the coming years is expanding the cleanup of toxic soil in Dartmouth’s Bliss Corner neighborhood. Cleanup is expected to begin in either late April or early May and will surround five homes.

While liability for the cleanup remains disputed, Haran said he would like to see the town collaborate with state and federal agencies to ensure the neighborhood is safe.

“This is a project that’s going to probably be with us for seven years,” he said. “We have to work with those agencies to get a resolution for those neighbors.” 

Another priority, Haran said, is to find solutions to help residents overcome economic hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic — most notably, through working to fund the proposed Mendes-Monteiro affordable housing project on Anderson Way.

To achieve this, the incumbent said he hopes the town can use some of its expected American Rescue Plan Act funds on the project. According to the Dartmouth Housing Authority, the project is nearly “shovel-ready,” but is still about $1 million short on capital.

The project has an estimated price tag of about $3.5 million to $3.7 million.

As for the non-binding referendum that will appear on the ballot over whether to keep the Dartmouth High Indian, Haran said he would be in favor of maintaining the name and logo. 

“I am 100 percent for it,” he said.

The incumbent noted that the referendum placement was actually something he wrote after being approached by a member of the Wampanoag tribe.

“I thought this issue was too important an issue for five people [on the School Committee] to decide,” he said. “I wanted to have the whole town have their voice.”