Council Chooses Hatleberg To Fill At-Large Council Seat

Former City Councilor Brian Hatleberg is back in office.

At a special meeting Monday night, the council voted 7-3 to appoint Hatleberg to fill the remainder of the term of former Councilor-at-Large Roy Avellaneda, who stepped down from office earlier this year. Hatleberg was one of three finalists interviewed by the full council, joined by former councilor Stanley Troisi and community activist and ZBA member Joan Cromwell.

In the final round of voting, Hatleberg received seven votes, one more than was necessary to be appointed. Councilors Leo Robinson, Damali Vidot, and Enio Lopez voted for Cromwell. To close the evening, Robinson introduced a successful motion to make the election of Hatleberg unanimous.

“As I was thinking about how to introduce myself here, it was really a little bit of a difficult challenge, because really, there are two audiences,” Hatleberg said in his opening statement during the nearly two hour interview process with the three candidates Monday night. “There is the public, which in many ways is the most important audience for the at-large councilor, and there is the council, which in many ways is the most important audience because you have the vote.”

Hatleberg said the public knows him for his ten years on the council, and through his wife, who is the principal at the Kelly Elementary School.

“You know me through my kids, who are always running around in the streets with the track team here,” he said. “You know me through the Chelsea Rotary, you know me through my service on the zoning board and the affordable housing trust fund committee. You know me through my general activities in the city and walking around in circles with my dog, and I think you know that I am accessible and will be available.”

Hatleberg said he views himself as coming to the council in a pinch hitting role, and has no plans to run for a full term on the council next year.

“I believe that it is really my place to function as an efficient public steward, as someone who will work with the public and will listen to their voices,” he said. “I believe in making things better, and I want to do that.”

To the council directly, Hatleberg said he works directly with people and doesn’t believe in defining himself by what he is against.

“What that means for each of you moving forward on the things that move the city forward is that I will put the time in and I’ll find a way to get to yes on things,” he said. “I’ll find a way to be productive, to be positive, and to put the time in.”

Hatleberg said he believes the city is moving in a good direction.

“I would like to be a part of helping that continue, and at the same time, I view this as frankly only about 20 meetings,” he said. “It is important to do the work, to put the energy in, and to execute to make things happen, because it’s not a long-term role.”

Vidot said she threw her support behind Cromwell because of her long history of involvement in the community without having sought elected office, although she said the council would do well with any of the three finalists.

“I know we will be best suited with someone the likes of Joan Cromwell because she shows up when it matters, the way she is inclusive and talks to everybody, the way she votes when it’s not about her needs are,” said Vidot. “The way she speaks, she is using we statements, and that is lost in the community where everyone else is always me and I.”

District 7 Councilor Tanairi Garcia said it was a tough decision and that all three finalists did a phenomenal job, but said she believed Hatleberg would bring more order and organization to the council.

“I feel that we need that order, and Joan, I know you will bring it to the table as well, but to have someone who has been here before, that is important to me as well and that’s why I chose Brian Hatleberg,” said Garcia.

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