AMESBURY — Per City Council approval, former City Clerk Amanda Haggstrom will be returning to local government as District 3 city councilor. Haggstrom was the only one who formally announced an interest in succeeding former Councilor Owen Corcoran.
Corcoran announced his resignation at the council’s Sept. 24 meeting to support his wife’s battle with breast cancer. The District 3 City Council seat was officially declared vacant Sept. 30 during a virtual special City Council meeting leading to city officials announcing a call for candidates.
The vacancy was expected to be filled at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. If Haggstrom’s application is approved, she will complete Corcoran’s term set to expire in December 2025.
“I want to make Amesbury an equitable and inclusive place for families of all different kinds. I’ve lived here my entire life,” Haggstrom said. “I was born and raised here, grew up in an amazing neighborhood with my parents and I want to be able to keep my daughter and my family in this community too.”
Applications for the position had to be returned to the city clerk’s office by Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Corcoran was serving his first term as a councilor following his election in November. Before joining the council, he served on the Traffic and Transportation Committee prior to its disbandment.
Haggstrom, who departed from her role as Amesbury’s City Clerk in September 2023 after over three years in the position to take over similar duties in Lynnfield, said that she wanted to make the move to council because of her positive experiences as a clerk.
“I’ve learned so much working in the clerk’s office, being at the hub of government. The clerk’s office has to interact with all the businesses, every single department, and I have a really good understanding of what’s going on in a lot of different areas of the city,” Haggstrom said.
She said she is excited to bring her perspective as not just a clerk, but one with so much experience with Amesbury’s council.
“I have a lot of areas that we can increase efficiency and shorten our meeting times and all different things that maybe have been past practice that aren’t laws or in rules,” Haggstrom said.
Haggstrom shared she will remain the clerk in Lynnfield, explaining what impact that will have on her if named to city council.
“Because of my role as a town clerk and election official, I do have to be nonpartisan. So there will be certain things like maybe state ballot questions or different things that I would have to recuse myself,” Haggstrom said.