Committee sends Heather Haggerty's Port Authority nomination to full council with positive recommendation

The New Bedford City Council Committee on Appointments and Briefings on Sept. 16 voted to refer Mayor Mitchell’s nomination of Heather Haggerty to the New Bedford Port Authority to the full City Council with a positive recommendation.

Haggerty introduced herself to the committee and described her background as owner of Big G Seafood on the New Bedford waterfront, which she said she took over in 2011. "It is a family owned business. It has been in business for, 4 decades. I took over in 2011 from my father while he was planning his retirement," she told the committee, adding that the company now has three divisions including a biomedical division that supplies horseshoe crab blood to the pharmaceutical industry for endotoxin testing.

Committee members asked Haggerty about regulatory and fisheries experience and said they welcomed a business‑owner perspective on the Port Authority. Councilor Joseph Lopes moved to refer the nomination to the full council with a positive recommendation; Councilor Derek Baptiste seconded the motion. The committee approved the referral by voice vote. The chair told Haggerty she could be sworn in at the full council meeting on Sept. 25 or later at the city clerk’s office.

Clarifying details: the committee record lists that Haggerty would replace Raymond J. Heltman; the meeting noted the appointment had been referred to the committee previously on Aug. 21, 2025. The term's specific year of expiration was not specified on the committee record presented to the committee.

Next steps: the nomination will appear on the New Bedford City Council meeting agenda on Sept. 25 for confirmation and possible swearing‑in.