Worcester's Etel Haxhiaj To Launch City Council Campaign

WORCESTER, MA — Election day may be months away but some Worcester residents are getting a jump start on their campaign, including Etel Haxhiaj. She plans to run for City Councilor-at-Large and will officially launch her campaign on Wednesday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the PNI Club in Worcester.

Haxhiaj plans to build a community-driven campaign on the notion of ‘renaissance for all of us,’ and in support of working families, immigrants and all people of Worcester, regardless of economic status.

“Worcester’s strength has always been its working families, its immigrants, its strivers and
doers, looking to make a difference in their community,” said Haxhiaj. "And while Worcester is changing, we need to make sure that our friends - our neighbors across the street, our local small businesses and entrepreneurs, our Stop and Shop workers, our families, and young people - are included in each and every change...and that every change benefits those same neighbors.”

Hiaxhiaj is an immigrant from Albania who arrived in Worcester nearly 18 years ago. She worked as a legal advocate in the Attorney General’s office, a board member of the YWCA and on several city boards and commissions. Most recently she worked as an organizer, working with mothers in Worcester to protect our children’s health from the dangers of gas leaks.

There are six City Councilor-at-Large seats, one of which is filled by Mayor Joseph Petty. The other five are taken by Morris Bergman, Khrystian King, Konstantina Lukes, Gary Rosen and Kathleen Toomey.

The last day to submit nomination papers is May 14. Worcester's preliminary elections are September 10 and the municipal elections are November 5.