Dartmouth residents announce candidacy for State Representative

Dartmouth residents have already begun announcing their intentions to run for the 9th Bristol District state representative seat.

State Rep. Chris Markey, a Democrat who has served as State Representative in the 9th Bristol District for 12 years, announced in January that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection to instead turn his attention to running for Bristol County District Attorney.

The 9th Bristol District encompasses all of Dartmouth and the Far North End of New Bedford.

So far, Dartmouth residents Ed Pacheco, Chester Tam and Steve Medeiros have taken out nomination papers.

As of time of publication, no one else has taken out nomination papers, according to a representative from the Secretary of State's Office.

Pacheco, a Democrat, has lived in Dartmouth for over 20 years and has been involved in various aspects of the community. This includes working as an evening security officer for Dartmouth Public Schools, supporting PTO families and sending his kids through the Dartmouth Girls Athletic League and Dartmouth Youth Activities Association.

Pacheco said that one of Dartmouth’s “big issues” is the town’s taxes, specifically in terms of how the town taxes versus how the money is spent.

“Obviously the school budget takes up a very large portion of where our tax revenue goes,” he said, “And we can always do better by our students.”

He noted that increasing the school department’s resources is something he would also want to focus on.

Tam, a Republican, previously ran for a seat on the Board of Health in the 2025 Town Election. He served as the vice chair of operations and digital media for President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2024 and also founded iSlant Studio LLC in 2022, which offers services for businesses and political campaigns. Tam is also a Town Meeting Member.

Tam grew up on the South Coast and moved to Dartmouth to raise his family.

“I would love to represent the people here,” he said.

Tam said he decided to run because he has concerns with the state’s cost of living, as his son may not be able to stay in Massachusetts.

He said that he wants to be more visible in the community and be a conservative voice in the office. 

Medeiros, a Democrat, also grew up on the South Coast and moved to Dartmouth to raise his family.

“I want to make sure I represent everyone in this town,” he said, noting that he would bring to the position a different perspective than Markey’s.

Medeiros is a realtor at Keller Williams Realty and has worked as an advocate for multiple realty projects, such as opposing a bill for short-term rental tax. He also has advocated for a first time homeowners tax credit and savings account.

He has also served as a Town Meeting Member and on the Alternative Energy Committee and previously ran for a seat on the Board of Health.

Medeiros decided to run because members of the community encouraged him to, and he wants to help the state.

Tam and Medeiros both said they have concerns about Chapter 40B developments and share a concern about how unaffordable Dartmouth can be. 

Medeiros stated many towns don't have the space like Dartmouth does to build affordable housing projects and so the town will continue to be a focus for housing. He said he wants to find a “smart way” to create a balance between 40B developments and a way to implement them so the residents and town are not negatively impacted.

Tam said he doesn’t think much can be done to stop the projects, but wants to ensure Dartmouth has the infrastructure to accommodate the population growth. He said he also has concerns about water consumption and how the developments could affect school enrollment.

Pacheco said 40B projects are a “challenging topic” since they are state mandated and noted that they’re “something that has to be managed on a local level.”

“Our best bet is to one: try and work with them so that we can get the best result out of it,” he said. "Two, just make sure that we are compliant so that we can avoid having these types of things in the future.”

Bristol County residents will have until Tuesday, April 28 to submit nomination papers to run for the 9th Bristol District state representative seat.

The state primary election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at which point voters will vote for which republican or democrat candidate they would like to see on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 midterm election ballot.