In a sea change for Gloucester’s municipal government, after serving for a total of 16 years in elected office as a voice for the schools, and for her constituents in Ward 4 and throughout the city, Councilor at-Large Valerie Gilman has announced she will not be seeking reelection this fall.
When she disembarks from the City Council on Dec. 31, she will have spent 16 years in elected office, including six on the School Committee from 2008 to 2013.
After a two-year hiatus, the resident of Lanesville was elected to the council to represent Ward 4 in November 2015 with her first term starting in 2016, she said. She was elected at-large in 2023. She has also served for two years as City Council president.
In total, she will have served a decade on City Council. She served alongside three mayors, former mayors Carolyn Kirk and Sefatia Romeo Theken and current Mayor Greg Verga.
“What I valued most as an elected official was the chance to serve this community that I love in a meaningful way,” Gilman said.
“Whether helping a resident navigate a challenging situation or collaborating with councilors and city administration to improve services, the most rewarding part was seeing the real impact of our work on daily lives,” she added.
In a letter to the Times, Gilman said her husband and she “are looking forward to retirement, with time to travel, enjoy family and friends, and savor all that Gloucester has to offer.”
Her decision creates at least one uncontested seat among the four at-large councilor seats up for grabs in the upcoming Municipal Election this fall.
Her letter encouraged folks to get involved, and she offered to talk with those interested in running for office. She urged those interested in running to learn how local government works by reading the City Charter, understanding budgeting, ordinances and zoning. She also asked potential candidates to become informed.
During her time in office, she said Gloucester built West Parish and East Veterans elementary schools, renovated the Police Department and Gloucester District Court complex on Main Street, passed inclusionary zoning, approved accessory dwelling units and, most recently, adopted a MBTA Communities 3A multifamily overlay zoning ordinance.
Gilman said she served on the project review team for the city’s Municipal Vulnerability Plan that resulted in sea wall upgrades at Lanes Cove and near the Blynman Bridge Canal entrance.
As City Council president in 2022-2023 she took part in the year-long celebration for the city’s 400+ anniversary. She also served as chair of council’s Planning and Development Standing Committee.
One of the highlights of her time in office came in August 2022 when some neighbors raised concerns about a taco and tater tot food trailer operating at Plum Cove Beach.
Gilman convened a neighborhood meeting in one of the more unusual and scenic spots in Gloucester to hold a meeting, outside on the beach itself, to iron out issues with the vendor, talk about regulations, and gauge resident sentiment. The result, she said, was the addition of more fixed vendor spots around the city and new language in the ordinance so a vendor could not pocket a spot without utilizing it.
Last year, Gilman took on a statewide role chairing the Women Elected Municipal Officials, a nonpartisan group which supports women in their roles as elected officials throughout the commonwealth. She also co-led Gloucester’s National Women’s Equity Day celebration at City Hall.
City Council President Tony Gross, who serves at-large, said it has been an honor to serve with Gilman on both the School Committee and the City Council.
“She brought a lot value and she will be missed,” said Gross, who said Gilman always looked out for her constituents.
“Gloucester is losing a truly dedicated public servant with Val’s departure,” said Councilor at-Large Jason Grow, who serves with Gilman on the Planning and Development Standing Committee which he now chairs.
“Val exemplified commitment to her constituents not only in understanding the issues before us as a councilor, but also making sure that her constituents understood the issues and that their concerns were heard and addressed,” he said. “She put countless hours into her service and her absence will be deeply felt.”
“Val’s love for our community has been evident first in her years on the School Committee and in the leadership she provided. She then applied the same dedication and community mindedness to her role on the city council,” said School Committee Chair Kathy Clancy.
“What I admire most is her innate ability to genuinely listen to her constituents’ concerns and to always think of what’s best for our city.”
As of Thursday morning, June 12, three people had pulled nomination papers to run for at-large for City Council in the upcoming election: incumbents Gross and Grow and resident Shawn McQueeney.
Candidates wishing to run for City Council at-large, mayor, ward councilor in Wards 1 through 5 or School Committee can obtain nomination papers in the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 9 Dale Ave.
The deadline to return papers for the certification of signatures is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29.
Gloucester’s Municipal Election is scheduled for Nov. 4. If necessary, a preliminary election will be held on Sept. 16.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.