Matt Andrade Raynham Select Board Candidate 2026

(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)

Raynham’s biggest debates are not happening in theory, they’re showing up in crowded classrooms, aging public safety spaces, and the uneasy feeling that the budget never quite catches up. We sit down with Matt Andrade, candidate for the open seat on the Raynham Select Board, to hear why he’s running now and what he thinks has to change for the town to move forward.

Matt shares his Raynham roots, his years on the Planning Board, and the personal motivation that comes with raising two kids in the local school system. We talk about what families are telling him at games, meetings, and parent teacher conferences, and why he believes Select Board leadership should be directly engaged in the real world impact of school funding decisions, staffing cuts, and growing class sizes. He also explains why he sees advocacy for families as a turnout problem too, and why participation matters when no one else is “coming to save us.”

From there, we dig into town wide priorities: modern resources for police and fire, meaningful support for seniors who worry about tax increases, and the hard math behind Raynham’s finances. Matt lays out his view that the town has an income problem, not just a spending problem, and he talks through development tradeoffs, the difference between residential and commercial tax impact, and ideas for strengthening local receipts and fee structures without losing the town’s character. If you care about Raynham schools, public safety, municipal budgeting, and smart growth, this conversation brings the stakes into focus.

Listen, share with a neighbor, and subscribe for more local candidate conversations and town issue breakdowns. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what should Raynham prioritize first?

Transcript

Welcome And Candidate Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome to the Inside Scoop. I'm Pat Riley and we're focusing on our candidates. And our candidate right now is Matt Andrade, who is candidate for the one open seat on the Rainham Select Board. Welcome, Matt.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

There are probably some people out there that haven't had a chance to meet you yet or know about you. So what would you like people to know about Matt Andrade? Tell us about your background.

Why He’s Running Now

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Sure. I'd love to summarize it. So, first and foremost, I've been in Rainham virtually all my life. Grew up here, right off of uh Lord Ann Road, so local. I'm 37 years old. Um went to school here, all the way up through to high school, which at that point I went to Coyle Cassidy High School. Um now uh fast forward a little bit. I started a business here. I started a uh real estate brokerage in town, and then a little bit further, now I'm starting a family in town. So I have two kids, Stella 8, Axel 6, both of them attending Law Liberty, Merrill School. Um, so I mean that's and again that that's a large reason why I've decided to run. I ran for I ran uh and was elected for planning board. I was on planning board for now about six years. I'm you know, I've been appointed as a new member as an associate position. And over my course of being on the planning board for the last almost six years, I've got to learn a lot, got to meet a lot of the department heads, meet a lot, uh, figure out how a lot of things work in town, got to improve on a lot, and um I found that you know, now that I have kids in the school system, I go to their parent teacher conferences, I go to various other meetings, and you know, I see condition of the classroom, 32, 35 kids, and um, you know, it it really encouraged me at that point speaking to the other families to run. Um also, you know, you go around town, um, I run into police and fire all people that I went to school with, grew up with, now are on the police force, fire department. It's it's amazing stuff to see. And, you know, they welcome me into the station. I walk through, and I'm like, you know, some of the offices, I'm like, I I'm pretty sure when we walk through this place when we were six, seven, eight years old at the fishing derby, they'd invite you in and stuff like that. I'm like, really? Nothing in here has changed. And this is like this is going on 30 years, probably in longer. So, and I know I I would never want to take credit for the people that have come before me and their planning and what they've done to get us to the new public safety building that we're on the verge of starting. But in my eyes, the police and the fire of this town, it's long overdue. That they get the facilities, they get the resources, they get the employees, they get the basic fundamentals for them to be able to do their job accurately and to the best of their ability. Because in the end, we're all gonna need help one day. Whether it's when we're young, whether it's when we're older, it doesn't matter. And I want to make sure that when I'm old, I fall down my basement steps and hit my head on the wall or something like that. I'm gonna be able to call the police and they're gonna have the equipment and they're gonna have the tools to do the job. So I think that, you know, again, that that's a large part. And growing up, um, Betty Thompson, you remember my grandmother, she was a huge integral part of the senior community. Um grew up uh, you know, eight, nine years old doing meals on wheels with her in her green Chrysler minivan, driving around town. Me and my cousins, we all used to pile in. We used to go and do meals on wheels. And she's always instilled in me it's important to give back to the community in any way that you can. Um, small, large, whatever it is, time, money, effort, whatever you can do, it's more than maybe someone else is doing. And it's it's you know, it's all important work. So the senior community, extremely important. I was just before I came here, I was walking through all of Mill Street apartments, talking to the seniors in there, giving them out um information of the upcoming election and stuff like that, having conversations with them, and a lot of them are concerned. Uh rightfully so. No one wants to see their taxes go up, no one wants to see change. I completely understand that. So I think that someone needs to be there to advocate for them. Uh and I have the history of that. You know, it was instilled in me before my time, and I I just hope that I can carry that forward, you know, into a select board position. So, I mean, that's a little bit about myself. It might have been a little long-winded, but um, hopefully, uh, that kind of gives people a gist of who I am.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

You've talked about it, but what particularly do you want people to know too about why you uh decided to run it this time? You mentioned just kids in the school and everything else, but maybe just expand on that a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Um, again, like Planning Board was an incredible opportunity, it and it remains to be. And I understand, I I've come to find out a lot of who the players are, how the departments work, how things are approved. And during my time on that, I found that a lot of people have told us, you know, possibly that this is how things have been done, and this is how things for the time has always been done. And and I think that a lot of that is to be said in the schools as well. And I think that now that I'm a father, family member, husband, and I go to all these events, I go to the softball, soccer, I mean, the sports are out of control. But I mean, you go and you talk to families, and as you know, the families of younger people are typically the ones that don't get out to vote. And I think that someone needs to advocate for the families because if you know we don't care enough to show up and come to the meetings and participate, no one else is gonna do that. The state's not gonna come and save us, nothing, no one's gonna come and save us. So I think that someone needs to take the stance to come in. And after visiting and hearing what the families are saying, seeing the teachers laid off, seeing the sports and activities being cut, and seeing the budget just dwindling away, and hearing from teachers all across, whether it be Bridgewater, Rainham, all over, uh I feel their frustration. I mean, I'm frustrated as well. I mean, I I don't like to go in and see a classroom of 35 kids and the teachers having a tough time pulling the whiteboard out from the corner because there's so many desks. Not to mention the classrooms that I'm visiting, same classrooms that I was there. I mean, it's if someone doesn't, and again, to your point as well, like the other candidates that are running, I am obviously I'm the youngest candidate running. I'm the only candidate that's running with kids in the schools, and if I was elected, I would be the only sitting board member with kids actively in the school. And I've told people if I'm lucky enough to be elected, I will do my best to fight for everyone else's kids as if they were my own, because I think that the kids' future is extremely important, and we owe it to them to do everything we can, if not more, to leave it better than when we got it.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the town and they'll be facing you as a member of the select board if elected?

SPEAKER_02 8:17

Um, I I know I touched on it a little bit during the campaign night, and I think that um going forward the budget, number one. I mean, we we had an override that was on overwhelmingly didn't get approved. And you speak to town administration, you speak to school committee, you speak to everyone, and they're all trying to tackle a budget that is that it always seems to be at a deficit. There's never enough. I can understand that. And as residents in town, every single year you get a tax bill, every year you get insurance, you get water, you get sewer, you get maintenance costs, everything associated with that goes up. So I mean, you can understand costs go up and they're always going to go up. And I think that um, you know, with the school committee, they did the CLA um audit. They found very minimal, you know, expenditures that were you know increasing, or they found nothing that was misleading, or something that wasn't supposed to be there. They found that the buses increase. Well, Lucini Bussing is the only busing company in this area large enough to service the kids, and it that's just a fixed cost. And unfortunately, gas prices go up and those costs go up. So I think the largest thing that the town is going to face is budget, finances. How can we get creative within the town to look at the overarching picture and understand okay, where can we save a dollar to make a dollar? Where can we possibly look into the future? Um, I touched on it during the campaign night that residential development, I understand no one wants to see it really any further. We don't have the school, we don't have the infrastructure to handle it. I'm 100% on that bandwagon that residential development, it needs to be slowed down significantly because we get a tax rate of nearly$12 per thousand on residential development, whereas opposed to commercial is about$16 per thousand. So one of our largest tax contributors within this town is Johnson Johnson on Paramount Drive. And someone like that brings in nearly close to a million dollars in tax to this town. And I think that their impact, if you were to look at the infrastructure and everything else at a large scale, it's minimal. So I think that if we had a couple big players that came into town, very low impact, don't bring any type of uh kids into the schools, don't have any type of infrastructure, real taxing demand on it, I think that maybe that's something to look into. And then also local receipts every year. I mean, excise tax, meals tax, everything like that, maybe is try and find ways that within the town we can bolster that. Maybe increase um permitting fees, maybe increase different types of traditional fees that we have in town that maybe might not have been looked at in quite a few years. Because, like we did with um the 3A overlay, the barrier to entry, if it's high enough, it will prevent people from doing things. And if we want to maybe skew things away from high residential, maybe we increase building permit fees or tie-in fees for water and sewer, or there's a million different things that we could look into. But I think that the budget as a whole, we have to take a hard look at it and figure out we don't have a budget problem, we have an income problem that we need to plan for for the future. Because if we don't, and every year we're behind, the snowball is gonna get larger and larger, and the deficit that we face every year is gonna get worse.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Right, when you're limited to the two and a half percent. So, what's been your what has been your campaign strategy, Matt?

Strengths He Brings To Select Board

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Campaign strategy this time is I am trying to speak with every single department head, any person within town that has a question. I'm the first person to post everywhere my cell phone number. I'm the first person to post email. Um any way that you is best for you to reach me is the way that I'm gonna go at it. So um, you know, we've done I've met with, you know, I I saw you at the uh the senior breakfast. I helped Wenton serve there. Um I've gone and spoke to uh chief of police, chief of fire, I've spoken to business owners all across town, um, just trying to, you know, explain to them why I'm here. I want people to know why I'm here, what I'm here to accomplish, because I think that that's important. It's in, you know, like I said right before this, I was at Mill Street. I was talking to all the um the seniors living there inside the housing, and I was trying to give them just information. Hey, April 25th, Rainham Middle School, 10 to 8, come on down, do early voting. You can do there's a million different ways, but I think that um, and I touched on it as well, the families are typically the ones that are busy. Um, and I'm trying to just do Facebook posts and videos and stuff like this where people can watch it, repost it, understand, hey, listen, the vote's coming up, we need to participate. If we want to make a change, we need to participate. And that's been my message to a lot of people is that you know, I I'm here to advocate for the families, I'm here to advocate for police and fire, I'm here to advocate for the seniors. Like anything I can do, um, I'm willing to do. And I've you know been overarching and telling everyone like if I'm put on this seat, it's it's I work for you. It's not the other way around. Um, and if I'm lucky enough to be here, I I want open lines of communication, just like I'm trying to lay the framework now that hey, listen, it doesn't stop at the election. Like, keep my number, and if problems come up, reach out to me. And that's always been something I'll always take a problem head on. I'll always talk to someone, even if it's uncomfortable, I'm always gonna have an open line of communication. I I in this time around, I want to make sure I hit every single house, every neighborhood, everything, so that people know my name, they know what I'm about, they know I'm here to stay.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

What are some of the strengths you feel that you have, Matt, that would be helpful, particularly on the select board?

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Um, I think that, like I said, um I grew up here. I've been here my whole life. Um, I still have family in in town. Um I uh I opened my own business here. Um I sell real estate in town and adjacent towns, and I've always um in now starting a family. I have business background since I was probably 18 years old. Um I started, you know, our family has a chain of laundromats and in Taunton, New Bedford. So I started those at a young age um managing people, and then from there we scaled it up year over year. I just tried to keep progressively building the business and it transitioned into real estate. So I've had um you know a very different career. Um, I've gotten to meet a lot of people, I've got to get in a lot of managerial roles, I've got to balance budgets and work with residents all across the town. So I understand what everyone's going through, I understand budgets, I understand people's finances. So I think that in having the background on the planning board as well, and being actively in the planning board, it's not like I stepped off for 10, 15 years. I'm still in it now. So I understand the relevant topics that are at hand. It's not that I've circled back around, I I've been here the whole time, I participate in town meetings, I participate in the elections, um in participation shows a lot. I'm engaged in these different types of venues. I I could go all day. I mean, I have a lot to talk about, and I think that you know, families see that, and and hopefully uh it comes across that I I I have the expertise, I have the past track record, and um I have the stamina to keep up.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

And you have the passion.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

I do have the passion. Uh that's why we're here.

Voting Details And Closing Message

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Excellent. Okay, we've got a few more minutes left. What would you like? What anything else that you'd like the voters to know? Um, I think that's obviously it's an important decision, and we really want everybody to get out to vote. Yeah. As you mentioned, Saturday, April 25th, the polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rain and Middle School. But if it is a school vacation week, if people are not going to be around, you can get an absentee ballot right up until the Friday before at noontime, right here at Town Hall.

SPEAKER_02 17:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Or anytime between now and then, they're available right now.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Yeah, I and uh again, I uh if I was to say anything to the people out there watching, I'm here for you. I mean, I don't um you know I've done this for Planning Board, I've done this for everything I've been a part of. If you want to reach me, I will talk, I will listen, I will understand what's going on. For the families that are out there that have kids in school that are frustrated and they want someone up here on the seat that can advocate specifically for them because they can call me and say, hey Matt, so-and-so's classroom's got 35 kids. Yep, I understand. My Axel's sitting right next to them. I understand what's going on. I'm not my kids aren't already graduated from school. Like I'm living it. Um every single day I know what it is, and I'm passionate about it. And I understand, you know, schools is a very small portion of this campaign and this race. And speaking to police and fire, I again I have friends that I grew up with, went to school with, and I care about their safety, I care about their facilities, I care about their resources, and I would never want one department to feel like they're going without because the whole circle of Rainham can only go around if everyone works together and everyone gets the resources that they need to succeed. It doesn't just start and stop at schools, it goes schools, police and fire, senior, highway, water, sewer. It's it all has to mesh together. Everyone has to get the resources they need without, in my eyes, having to go back to the taxpayers and disappoint them every single year. I think that the residents need to understand that you know I'm in the seat to work for them, not the other way around. And um, April 25th is gonna be here right around the corner. I have, you know, that day, unfortunately, it's opening day for baseball as well. So all these families out there who are gonna be at the parade, I'm gonna try and be at the parade as well as at the polls. So if you're worried about running out of time, come into town hall, get a ballot, fill it out, do a mail-in, call me, text me, email me, I'll drive you to that town hall. If you need the uh if you need the ride or the ride in, I'm here to do whatever I can to help, even if it's to help you get to the polls. You know, I just hope everyone shows up on the 25th, understands what's at stake, and uh hopefully we can make an impact.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Yes, hopefully all of those people out on a Saturday take a few minutes, and it only takes a few minutes.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Yeah, we're right up the road. The baseball fields are only a walk away. If you want to get a nice brisk walk into the Rainham Middle School, you got plenty of time.

What He Loves About Rainham

SPEAKER_00 20:39

A few more minutes left on your time here, Matt. What do you think is best about the town of Rainham?

SPEAKER_02 20:45

Um, it's the place I grew up. I mean, there's a degree of Rainham charm always here. I mean, there's uh there's the staples in town, you go to Johnson's Pond. It's funny because I drive by Johnson's Pond now, and uh every time I drive by, I go, man, and I grew up right across the street down Lordan Road, and um I go, wow, I I feel like there's more people there fishing now than there was when I was a kid. I I feel like it's like exploded. Um, and there's like again, I understand that the police and fire department is is older, but it's still there. I mean, you have the four corners, you get the stone church, you got the Hannett House. Um, I know they've been doing renovations there. There's a certain degree of historical charm to the place, and I I think it's worth preserving. And I think that you know, we can do our part to always make things better. We we're not always going to be perfect, but I think that you know paying homage to what was before us is important. And you know, again, I grew up going to school here. School was a blast. Like I made lifelong friends that I'm still I still talk to to this day, and um you know it's It's been amazing. And I was when I was looking for a place for to raise a family, I I, you know, Rainham left as big of an impact on me to say, hey, listen, this is, you know, I built a house here eight years ago and had my daughter here, and this is where we call home. And I would never want to raise them anywhere else because it's been a blast. It still continues to be a blast. They have amazing friends in town. We have you know amazing uh sports and and coaches, and it's just um there's something to be said about the community. I mean, everyone seems to know each other. The police and fire, you always seem to know one of the guys or one of the females. I mean, it's it's unbelievable the community that we've built here. And um I think that when I started on the planning board and now I've hopefully transitioned to the select board, I like to think that it's a small piece that I can give back to a place that's given me and my family so much and so much to look forward to. Because I I think that the history it is amazing, but I think that the future is gonna be even more amazing. Um, so that's why I'm here, and that's why I plan to stay here for as long as I possibly can.

Contact Info And Sign Off

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Wrap it up in a couple minutes to voters.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

April 25th, Rainham Middle School. It's a decision that all of the families, all of the residents need to make. I hope that all of you guys take the next 15 days to think about it. And if you have questions about who I am, what I stand for, reach out to me. I will come to you, I will sit down. And again, if you tell me I'm wrong, it's it's perfectly fine. I think that something needs to be done. I think that there needs to be change, and I think that it needs to be in the right direction, and I think that someone with skin in the game needs to be sitting at this table, and I hope to be that person.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Do you want to let people know how they can contact you and email me?

SPEAKER_02 24:13

Yeah, you can you can send me an email at mwandroid88 at gmail.com or call me on my cell phone, text 774-226-5647. You can find, you can, if you have questions, call, text, email, carry a pigeon, whatever work, whatever works for you. I'll come to you, whatever uh, whatever I can do to help.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Thank you, Matt. Our guest today, Matthew Andrade, candidate for Rainham Select Board. Thank you for joining us here on the Inside Scoop.