Longtime Freetown Selectman Ousted By First-Time Challenger
FREETOWN — Although there was only one contested race in Freetown’s town election on Monday, it turned out to be quite an interesting race.
In the unofficial results, challenger Jared Zager defeated longtime incumbent Lisa Pacheco for the only open spot on the Board of Selectmen. Zager got 375 total votes, while Pacheco – the current chair of the board – received 357 votes.
Assistant Town Clerk Cheryl Estrella told WBSM News that while absentee ballots were still being counted, she did not think the results of that race would be affected by them.
Zager, who is employed as a financial convenience counselor for the Associated Grocers of New England and previously spent a decade working in fiscal management for New England Farms, campaigned heavily on his business acumen and how it could be applied to the selectman’s position.
James St. Laurent (58 votes) and Christopher Kearley (18 votes) rounded out the race.
Pacheco had served on the Board of Selectmen since 2006, after having previously served on the Freetown-Lakeville School Committee.