The polls set up at the Freeport High School Gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 2. C. Thacher Carter / The Times Record

Matthew Pillsbury won the only contested position on the Freeport Town Council this year, a District 3 seat that was sought after by one other candidate.

Freeport Town Councilor-elect Matthew Pillsbury. Courtesy of Matthew Pillsbury

Results came in around noon on Wednesday afternoon. Pillsbury beat Mitchell Rouda with a final tally of 613 votes to 305 votes. The term is for two years.

District 3 encompasses a southern portion of town on the western side of the Harraseeket River.

Pillsbury will be taking the seat of former Councilor Doug Reighley, who resigned and left Freeport in September, citing personal reasons.

“I feel pretty humbled, there were a lot of people that were really invested in this and really believed in supporting me, and I appreciate it so much,” Pillsbury said on Wednesday. “I want to come in and listen and hear and understand the work that’s ongoing and the issues that are important to the residents in the town.”

In addition, Pillsbury said, issues that he would like to address include making good environmental decisions on the municipal level as it relates to conservation and climate change, making sure there is a fair, equitable and inclusive process for hearing residents’ voices and continuing work on the downtown revitalization plan.

Two other candidates were also elected for an at-large seat and District 4 seat on the council. District 4 makes up the northwestern portion of Freeport.

Darrel Fournier was elected with 2,696 votes to the at-large position. He will be taking the place of Councilor Tawni Whitney, who did not seek reelection this year after one term. The term is for three years. Attempts to contact Fournier on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Councilor Henry “Chip” Lawrence was reelected with 608 votes for the District 4 seat. The term is for three years. Lawrence was first appointed in 2018.

According to Freeport Town Clerk Christine Wolfe, the results were delayed due to a technical problem with voting machine programming. The issue was resolved and the counting of votes was completed on Wednesday morning.

Sewer District Results

On the Freeport Sewer District Board of Trustees, five candidates vied for three spots. The candidates included three incumbents, Michael Ashby, Sara Randall and Adam Morse, as well as two newcomers, Jonathan Chapman and G. Corson Ellis.

The three incumbents won the seats. Ashby received 1,490 votes, Randall received 1,968 votes and Morse received 1,233 votes. Terms are for three years.