Herreshoff to end long political career

After 34 years in office, the long-time councilor and former administrator is stepping out of public life

Patrick Luce
Posted 5/24/16

After one of the longest continuous political careers in Bristol history, Town Councilman Halsey Herreshoff is stepping back from public life, announcing Tuesday he will not seek a 14th term on the …

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Herreshoff to end long political career

After 34 years in office, the long-time councilor and former administrator is stepping out of public life

Posted

After one of the longest continuous political careers in Bristol history, Town Councilman Halsey Herreshoff is stepping back from public life, announcing Tuesday he will not seek a 14th term on the council.

“I think it might be time to do some other things,” Councilman Herreshoff told the Phoenix in announcing the end of a 34-year political career. “I think I did a lot to improve the fabric of Bristol. You can never do enough, but I did a lot.”

Councilman Herreshoff didn’t start out with political ambition, but just one time witnessing the chaos that can be Town Meeting, in 1981, was enough to convince him he could be of service to the town.

“I didn’t think it made too much sense. So I stood up and said so,” Councilman Herreshoff said. “Sarah Amaral (who was town administrator at the time) said I should run for office. So I did throw my hat in the ring to run, and I won. And I didn’t know what to do.”

He quickly figured it out. Despite a less than resounding victory (by only 16 votes), Councilman Hereshoff found early success as an advocate for clean government and responsible spending.

“I guess I did some good things early because after winning by 16 votes, I won my second election by 1,600,” Councilman Herreshoff said.

He parlayed his early success as a councilor and chief marshal of the 4th of July Parade into a position atop town government when he ran for Town Administrator and won the job in 1986. He served in that capacity for eight years, then returned to the council in 1994, where he has served ever since.

Upon becoming administrator, Councilman Herreshoff continued his campaign to clean up Bristol, beginning with the police department, which he described as “corrupt” at the time.

“There was a lot of corruption, and a lack of attention to duty,” Councilman Herreshoff said. “My first day as town administrator, there was a line of people outside asking to get traffic tickets fixed. I guess that’s the way it had been done before. After about a week of saying no, no one came in.”

Councilman Herreshoff hired a former Marine and Rhode Island state trooper to clean up the police department, before setting his sites on the financing of town departments. Previously, there had been little accounting of departments’ budgets, Herreshoff said, necessitating greater oversight. Herreshoff implemented a budgeting process for tracking and managing expenses department heads in Bristol still use today.

At the top of his list of accomplishments as both a councilor and an administrator was his advocacy for open space and parkland in Bristol. Herreshoff was instrumental in pushing for and securing funding for as many as seven public parks scattered around the town. Chief among them are Walley Park on Hope Street, just south of the Herreshoff Marine Museum along the waterfront.

“I called that the one-dollar park, because we got about $25,000 - one dollar for each Bristol resident,” Councilman Herreshoff said. “I used to hound the state constantly for grant money, and they would give them to us because we did a good job with them.

Herself also worked on securing funding to clean up the Town Common, and for parks near Mt. Hope High School and near Guiteras School, as well as Rockwell Park and Independence Park along Bristol’s waterfront.

“He’s been responsible for a lot of parks in town,” said Town Councilwoman Mary Parella, the only other Republican on the council. “It’s going to be a big loss. He just knows so much. He brings so much institutional knowledge. He has never failed to put the interests of Bristol first.”

Those interests in the town have always come first for Councilman Herreshoff, ahead of even political success, Town Administrator Tony Teixeira said.

“He’s been a statesman, not a politician,” said Teixeira, who looked at Herreshoff as an example when he first joined the council. “He always had something to offer. I admire the work he’s put in for the town. It’s sad to hear he’s ending his political life. I hope he won’t go too far.”

Councilman Herreshoff said he’s not going anywhere. While he plans to spend more time traveling, working with his company, Herreshoff Designs, and continuing his long family sailing tradition — including racing an upcoming regatta at the New York Yacht Club — he’ll still be keeping an eye on Bristol and pushing to keep the town beautiful. In fact, just last month, Councilman Herreshoff organized a cleanup of Hope Street.

Even the timing of his announcement is geared toward helping the town move forward. The deadline for candidates to register for office is approaching on June 29.

“I wanted to announce in time for others to step up,” Councilman Herreshoff said. “I wanted to give them the opportunity to step forward. There are a lot of people in Bristol who would be good candidates.”

It would be difficult for anyone to match Councilman Herreshoff’s political success. Since beginning public life in 1982, he has never lost a single election. That’s a record of 16-0, which he attributes in part to his habit of campaigning door to do, his willingness to speak out, his high ethical standard — “I never wanted so much as a cup of coffee — and his care for the town.

“Before, I had only done things for myself or my family, but now I could do things for all the people,” Councilman Herreshoff said. “It might sound corny, but that’s why you run for office.”

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