The city’s tax assessor, controller, youth director, and top building official each won permission from alders on Tuesday night to live outside of New Haven. In a near-unanimous vote, the Board of Alders passed four separate orders exempting Acting Assessor Alex Pullen, City Controller Michael Gormany, Youth and Recreation Department Director Gwendolyn Busch Williams, and Building Official Bob Dillon from a residency requirement for many department heads and appointees. “These requests should not be viewed as a reflection on New Haven or the value of living in our city,” said Dixwell Alder and Legislation Committee Vice Chair Jeanette Morrison. “New Haven remains a strong an diverse community, and an important place to live, work and serve. However there are times when allowing flexibility in the residency requirement is in the best interest of our city,” including for positions that “may be difficult to fill” otherwise. The four longtime city leaders are the first to benefit from a new system allotting residency exemptions to department heads on a case-by-case basis. The longstanding residency requirement comes from the city charter, which states that most city department heads be required to be “electors” in New Haven within six months of their appointments — meaning they have to be citizens residing within city limits. Early in 2026, the Board of Alders passed an ordinance amendment paving the way for existing department heads and other mayoral appointees to apply for an exemption to live outside city bounds, as long as they reside within the state of Connecticut. Applicants for a residency exemption have to attest that living in New Haven poses a “substantial hardship.” The applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis; the city’s personnel director decides whether to advance the application, and then the Board of Alders is responsible for a final vote. Legislation Vice Chair Jeanette Morrison: “These requests should not be viewed as a reflection on New Haven or the value of living in our city.” On Tuesday, Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller was the sole alder to vote against the residency waivers. All of the other alders present voted to approve them. (Alders Henry Murphy, Sal Punzo, Kim Edwards, Brittiany Mabery-Niblack, and Honda Smith were not present.) Downtown/Yale Alder Elias Theodore said that while he had felt “conflicted” about the residency waivers prior to hearing from the four department heads, “each candidate put forward a compelling case.” He noted that “they have highly specialized skills that are so valuable for our city and each of them has shown a longtime commitment to serving our city and we are very lucky to have them.” East Rock Alder Anna Festa said that while she urges the city to hire New Haven residents whenever possible, “these four individuals have proven to be great employees.” In her experience as an alder, “they always pick up the phone, or at least call you back, and they do have the best interests of the New Haven residents in mind.” In a comment provided to the Independent Wednesday morning, Miller explained her vote against these four residency-requirement exemptions. She said that her vote was “[n]ot a reflection on any of the applicants but on our priorities as a city.” She stressed that “[e]veryone has challenges,” and that there are plenty of positions in city government that do not require one to live in New Haven. “Department leaders should be held to a different standard, and should have their own lives impacted by the decisions they make – just as we do as elected officials,” Miller said. “I also grew up with neighbors who led city departments. That meant that I learned about my city government at backyard barbecues, and so did my neighbors. That dotted line opens the door to all kinds of civic engagement, in ways that are difficult to quantify but I see in retrospect how important it is. “These positions are not super specialized and should not be difficult to fill by a city that is educating and training its people. The fact that there is not a line of qualified applicants out the door is alarming. Rather than making exceptions, we should be asking why – and planning for what we are going to do differently to prepare our people to lead our city.” Roots Within Outside Of New Haven At a meeting of the aldermanic Legislation Committee in August, Pullen, Gormany, Busch Williams, and Dillon each spoke to their personal reasons for seeking an exemption. Some had served as “acting” department heads for years due to the residency requirement, while others had rented second homes simply to qualify for the department head role. They each described deep ties and connections to the city, through long careers in City Hall, and in some cases, childhood memories and family connections. Meanwhile, the city’s head of human resources, Susan Baldwin, argued that the department heads would be hard for the city to replace. Gormany first began working in New Haven local government as a high school City Hall intern in 1999. He joined the city’s Finance Office in 2004. “I have worked my way up through the city of New Haven up until 2024,” Gormany said. Prior to taking on the official position of Controller, Gormany had previously served as Acting Controller from 2020 to 2024. Gormany, who had also been the city’s Budget Director, retired from full-time work at City Hall following a lawsuit from Westville resident Dennis Serfilippi contesting his ability to serve as an acting department head for more than six months. After two years as West Haven’s budget director, Gormany returned as Controller just as the Board of Alders created the residency waiver process for existing department heads. A 22-year resident of Branford, Gormany said he is seeking a residency exemption because his family, including a high schooler, is rooted in the town. “We don’t have plans to sell our place,” he said, and “having a second residence would cause economic hardship within my family.” Gormany also said that there are technical skills associated with his role, making it more difficult to recruit qualified candidates. He said that during his time as Acting Controller from 2020 to 2024, “We had 30 applicants. Fifteen were qualified. Only one of them was a New Haven resident, out of 15.” “We did end up hiring that person,” said Baldwin, referring to Kristi Sampieri. “My zip code doesn’t determine the great things I want to see in New Haven,” maintained Gormany. Similarly, without a residency waiver, Pullen has been unable to step into the official role of Tax Assessor, though he’s been filling the position in an acting capacity for over a decade — since 2011. He said he started working for the city’s Tax Assessor’s office in 2006. “I’ve owned my home in North Haven since 2008, about 18 years,” Pullen told the committee, “and the property itself has been in my family for three generations. I have no desire to sell a house that I grew up visiting and which holds a lot of memories,” including memories of his late grandfather. While Pullen lives in North Haven, he described a lifelong connection to his hometown of New Haven. “I’m born and raised here. I lived my whole life here,” said Pullen. “My parents still live here. My grandparents still live here. I live right at Exit 9. It takes me seven minutes to get here… I spend more time in New Haven than I actually do at home. I definitely spend more money in New Haven.” Pullen noted that state law requires all municipal tax assessors in Connecticut to have an active Connecticut Certified Municipal Assessor designation, which requires extensive professional development and two exams in order to obtain. Mayoral Chief of Staff Sean Matteson added that the state “seems to have a shortage of municipal assessors.” He said that there are some assessors who split their time between multiple towns. “In a city the size of New Haven… it would be difficult sharing an assessor,” Matteson said. “I believe the last time we were actively recruiting for this was in 2012,” said Baldwin, adding later that “in the acting role, Mr. Pullen has done an amazing job. We couldn’t ask for anything better. Honestly, it is a very difficult position to try to fill.” Dillon, who owns a house in North Haven, said that he had been living in a New Haven-based apartment in order to fulfill the residency requirement. He said, however, that living apart from his family has become more challenging after a profound loss. “My house is three and a half miles away,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll affect any of my job requirements at all.” Dillon began working at the city in 2017. After working as a plumbing inspector, he was appointed to the role of Building Official in 2023. And Youth and Recreation Director Busch Williams requested an exemption due to a home just outside the city that has accumulated family significance. Busch Williams has worked for the city since 2007. “I have worked my way up from within this department,” she said. She called her appointment to the department’s director “one of the highlights of my career.” Prior to 2007, Busch Williams had moved from her New Haven-based residence on Artisan Street to a home she was able to purchase in West Haven. At the time, “unfortunately I was not able to find one that was in my financial limits” in New Haven, she said. In West Haven, “I was able to find a home luckily right next door to my big sister.” The sisters continue to live side-by-side, she said, in close proximity to her mom, whom she now cares for. “My husband did put his foot down” to say, “We are not selling this house. We have worked too hard and this is not an economy where we are able to sell this house,” said Busch Williams. “Do I choose my husband and my marriage and my children or do I choose my job?” she asked. “That is a position that is uncomfortable for anyone to be put in.” Initially, Police Chief David Zannelli joined Pullen, Gormany, Busch Williams, and Dillon in seeking an exemption to live outside the city. He decided to withdraw his application and look for an apartment in the city, however, after concluding that “for a police chief to be in community policing, you should be able to be in the community.” The post 4 Department Heads Cleared To Live Outside City appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less