WORCESTER, Mass. - In Worcester's District 5, Etel Haxhiaj was the clear winner to fill the seat left vacant by Matt Wally.
Haxhiaj received 2,584 votes, taking nearly 54% of the vote to defeat former state trooper Gregory Stratman.
Haxhiaj will be one of two newcomers on the council. The first non-binary candidate, newcomer Thu Nguyen, finished fourth in the City Council At-Large race.
“What I know resonated with voters is someone who ran a positive campaign, somebody who is interested in listening to folks. I took a special interest in people up in Pleasant Street that talked about traffic issues. People resonated with the idea that a city councilor knows about issues like affordable housing and specifically about using the federal dollars that we’re receiving in the city to benefit all neighborhoods,” Haxhiaj said Tuesday night at her victory party at Anokyke Krom. “And I think the cornerstone of this campaign was to make sure that all neighborhoods and voices are included in community planning.”
This was Haxhiaj's second run for city council. She fell short for her bid for an at-large seat back in 2019.