Reading Election Results 2020: Friedmann Voted Out

READING, MA — Reading Selectman Andrew Friedmann was voted out Tuesday, less than a month after his controversial comments about police officers prompted a mass walkout at a Select Board meeting and drew condemnation from both residents and the town's two police unions. One voter told Patch he showed up Tuesday specifically to vote against Friedmann.

David DeFilippo called Friedmann's comments at the Feb. 11 meeting "disrespectful and disgusting." The selectman said he felt "intimidated" by police officers who "drive around town with guns." He later apologized for the statement.

"I think the town can do better," DeFilippo said. DeFilippo, a small business owner, voted for Carlo Bacci for Select Board and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Bacci and Karen Gately Herrick were elected to the Select Board Tuesday. According to unofficial results posted by RCTV, the vote tallies were 5,486 for Bacci, 3,975 for Herrick, 2,941 for Friedmann and 2,895 write-ins. Bacci and Herrick will serve three-year terms on the Select Board.

Carla Nazzaro and Erin Gaffen were elected to three-year seats on the School Committee, receiving 5,132 and 4,711 votes, respectively. Megan Fidler-Carey received 3,445 votes. Shawn Brandt was unchallenged for a one-year seat on the School Committee.

Voters arriving at the Reading Memorial High School Field House Tuesday were greeted by enthusiastic supporters of candidates for School Committee and Select Board, the two major contested races.

Voter Michelle Faulkner, who owns a public relations firm and wedding venue, said as a small business owner, ethics and an honest track record are important issues to her.

Faulkner voted for Bacci and John Halsey, the current vice chair of the Select Board. Halsey did not run, but a write-in campaign gained traction in the weeks following the Feb. 11 Select Board meeting.

A registered Republican, Faulkner could not participate in the Democratic primary. She voted against President Donald Trump in the Republican primary Tuesday.

"I will vote Democrat in the general for the first time in my life," Faulkner told Patch.