Barbara Haller, Longtime Worcester Councilor, Dies At 73

WORCESTER, MA — Barbara Haller, a major force in Worcester politics and local government, died Monday night after a battle with cancer, according to her family.

Haller, 73, grew up near Schenectady, N.Y., but moved to Worcester in the early 1990s after living in Massachusetts for decades. Haller previously served on the school committee in Holland before running for a seat on the Worcester City Council in 2001, according to a Worcester Women's Oral History project interview.

"Barbara bought a nightclub on Main Street in 1991 and became involved with the Beacon- Brightly neighborhood revitalization group as a local business owner. Connections through this effort led her into local politics. In 2001, she was elected to serve on the City Council," according to the interview

Haller served on the council until 2011, when she lost the seat to District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera. Former City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. appointed her to a seat on the License Commission in 2016, and she served as a commissioner through early 2022.

On Tuesday, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty remembered Haller as "a fearless advocate for the Main South neighborhood."

"She was very much a mentor," At-Large Councilor Kate Toomey said during Tuesday's city council meeting. "Barbara was the epitome of what i think of as a public servant."

Haller was still politically active in recent days. She lent support to a campaign to pass an inclusionary zoning ordinance in Worcester, which was sent to city council this week. In a letter to council supporting inclusionary zoning, Haller asked councilors to pass the ordinance with a 60 percent median income to qualify for affordable housing as opposed to the more expensive 80 percent median on the table.

"Very sad to hear about former councilor Haller's passing and so grateful she took the time to write to city council and make her stance public on how inclusionary zoning needs to support our community members," District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, a proponent of the inclusionary zoning ordinance, said Tuesday.

Haller's son, Jacob, asked the council to honor Haller by passing the inclusionary zoning policy at a level that's affordable for more people in Worcester.

"After getting diagnosed with cancer in May, my mother, Barbara Haller, died last night. To that end, she was deeply concerned about affordable housing in Worcester. I hope [Petty]
and the City Council honor her and support the [ordinance] at 60% AMI tonight," he tweeted Tuesday.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how long Haller served on the Worcester License Commission.