Chasse Announces Candidacy for Ward 5 City Council Seat

One Ward 5 resident has already thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming City Council election in New Bedford.

Paul Chasse, the CEO of the Realtors Association of Southeastern Massachusetts and the Chairman of the Rail to Boston Coalition, is the first person to officially announce he's seeking the Ward 5 seat this fall. Chasse made his announcement on an appearance with WBSM's Brian Thomas Monday morning.

"I want to make a difference," Chasse said. "I want to be here. I want to help. I want to offer my help to the constituents of Ward 5."

Chasse says he's always wanted to run, but did not want to run against an incumbent. Chasse felt that with Ward 5 councilman Kerry Winterson deciding not to run again, the timing was finally right.

"I just felt like if I was going to do this, this was the time to do it," he said. "I've always been wanting to give back to the community. I'm always one that really felt passionately about the New Bedford area."

"If you talk to my wife, she'll tell you, when we're roaming around, whether locally or around the state, or around the country for real estate, I'm always touting the New Bedford area and the positives New Bedford has," he said.

Chasse has lived in Ward 5 for eight years, and says he has spent 43 of his 46 years in New Bedford, except for three years in South Carolina for a job opportunity.

"By the way, I can't say enough about Kerry Winterson and the job he has done. I certainly thank him for all he has done for the families and businesses of Ward 5," Chasse said.

Chasse said he thinks that with his work in real estate, he can offer a different perspective to some of the issues facing the city and the City Council.

"I think New Bedford is going in the right direction," Chasse said. "I think we have a lot of positives about New Bedford, but i think we could do more. We could always do more. It would be great to have some fresh ideas on the City Council, mix it up a little bit."