Committee recommends residency waivers for several long‑serving city officials

The legislation committee on Aug. 4 recommended that the full board grant residency exemptions for several city officials who testified about qualifications, professional certifications and hardship that would make relocating to New Haven financially or personally burdensome.

Alexander Pullen, who said he has worked in the assessor’s office since 2006 and holds a Connecticut CCMA designation, asked the committee to recognize a financial hardship that would arise if he had to sell his longtime North Haven family home. Personnel staff confirmed a limited pool of certified assessors statewide and reviewed prior recruitment efforts. The committee gave item 1 (Pullen's exemption request) a favorable recommendation.

Wanda Lynn Williams, director of youth and recreation, described 19 years with the city and a family care obligation for an elderly parent; the committee voted to recommend her waiver. Michael Larmony, who described years of city finance service and recent recruitment challenges in the controller’s office, also received a favorable recommendation. Robert Dillon, director of the Office of Building Inspection and Enforcement, recounted long local experience in construction and inspection and cited recent family hardship; his waiver also received a favorable recommendation.

Committee members repeatedly cited recruitment difficulties for specialized, state‑certified roles and emphasized continuity of service. Several members said hardship and the scarcity of qualified residents in the required professions satisfied the ordinance criteria for exceptions. The committee forwarded those favorable recommendations to the full board; one item was withdrawn at the committee's request.