LONGMEADOW – After volunteering for most of the day as an election worker for the June 14 Town Election, Phillip Hallahan received a surprise phone call the following morning – he’d been elected to the Housing Authority, but his name wasn’t on the ballot.

Hallahan, who received nine write-in votes, told Reminder Publications he’s since accepted the five-year seat on the committee.

“I didn’t solicit any of this; it just happened,” he explained.

Other write-in candidates included Joe Phillips with four votes, former Selectman Paul Santaniello, who received two votes, and Joseph Rinaldi with seven votes.

Hallahan said he believes residents wrote him on the ballot due to his involvement with the Council on Aging and because he was is a member of the Adult Center Building Committee.

He added he decided to accept the elected position because he believes housing is an issue that has been “lying dormant” in the town for years.

“I decided that I could contribute to it,” Hallahan said. “I have a background in land development, building houses, [and in] the construction industry. I had been a fee inspector for the federal government in [the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development] (HUD) in a program called Section 203k, which is the accusation and rehabilitation of one to four family houses and also 203b, which was new construction.”

As a fee inspector, he inspected 500 to 600 housing units across the Commonwealth, he said.

“I would work with the people and with the bank to say, ‘Well, okay, this is what it’s going to cost you to rehabilitate this home up to the current standards.’”

He explained the two programs involve housing for people with low to moderate incomes.

Hallahan said he’s been in the construction industry for 47 years.

“I was at a retail lumber business; I was in land development; I was a landlord; I did commercial construction … I’m offering my services,” he noted.

He said he also worked as a licensed construction supervisor for the state.

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