Meet Select Board candidate Jim Munise

No stranger to the Select Board, when Jim Munise isn't fishing or tending to his garden, he's attending meetings and making "good use" of his post-retirement life.

Serving a Select Board in 2019, candidate Munise says he's ready to come back with his campaign focused on transparency, communication and long-discussed improvements to the town.

Munise, a retired Bridgewater State University employee, moved to Wareham full-time more than two decades ago after spending summers in town as a teenager. He worked at the university for 40 years, rising from maintenance staff to a mid-level administrative role in science departments, and has also served in three union leadership positions.

Since retiring in 2015, Munise has stayed active in town government, attending meetings and serving on local boards, including the Housing Authority.

“I say I’m going to do something, I dig in and I do it,” Munise said. “It’s not just a title. You have to be committed if you want to do a good job.”

Munise said he is running because he believes the town needs more open discussion and follow-through on projects. He said there has always been "talk" but never follow through on town issues. 

“I have a different vision than others,” he said. “I’d like more openness, more discussion. There’s a lot of things talked about, but not always implemented.”

A key focus of his campaign is revitalizing Main Street, particularly Merchant’s Way which he said could be improved through basic maintenance and aesthetic upgrades. 

“Revitalization starts with cleaning up Merchant’s Way,” Munise said. “Some of it is just simple — scraping and painting — fixing things that are already there.”

He pointed to issues such as visible dumpsters, deteriorating buildings and lack of coordination in redevelopment efforts. Munise said better organization and clearer direction from town leadership would help move projects forward.

“Discussion is one thing, implementation is another,” he said. “Things that were discussed five years ago still haven’t happened.”

Munise also emphasized the need for clearer communication with residents, especially during public meetings. He said meeting language can be improved for the community's sake. 

“People should be able to understand what’s going on,” he said. “There’s too much jargon. Put it on the screen, explain it simply.”

Wareham’s strengths, according to Munise, is its natural resources and small-town character, citing its waterways, beaches and outdoor recreation. At the same time, he said the town must balance growth with financial realities. He said the town needs to work on reevaluating what it spends its money on going forward.

“You have to live within your means,” Munise said. “But you also have to make the town attractive for businesses and residents.”