Acushnet Select Board appoints officer, clerk, and secures $150,000 road earmark

ACUSHNET — April 14, 2026 — Acushnet Select Board appointed a new patrol officer and senior clerk while warning of a looming $500,000 budget deficit at its April 14 meeting. The board unanimously appointed Emmanuel Mateus, a lateral transfer from Rochester with 12 years of law enforcement experience, as a patrol officer at step four; it also appointed Nicole Smith as senior clerk in the treasurer-collector's office on the recommendation of Treasurer-Collector Jennifer Grant. Police Chief Gary Coppa, who has brought on three lateral officers since January, credited Officer Jeremy Fauntz and Officer Courtney Soares for conducting roughly a dozen background checks in five months. Outgoing Acting Town Administrator James Kelly warned the board that a snow-and-ice and overtime deficit could reach $500,000, potentially consuming most of the town's roughly $300,000 in certified free cash and prompting a spending freeze before annual town meeting. On a brighter note, the board reported that new Town Administrator Adam LaMontagne quickly secured a $150,000 state earmark from Senator Marc Montigny's office for reclamation and paving of Hamlin Street, a project estimated at $650,000 to $700,000. The meeting was the final one for Selectman David Warner, who received a certificate of excellence from the board.