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NEW BEDFORD — Linda Morad, the longtime city councilor, announced on Monday that she will not seek reelection for her At-Large seat on the council this fall after more than 20 years in office. Morad, 70, is the second most senior member of the council, and has served as chair of the finance committee, chair of the labor committee, and council president during her tenure, among many other posts.
Morad, a fiscal conservative, is a frequent critic of Mayor Jon Mitchell and was his opponent in the 2011 mayor’s race. Her retirement from the council will create a city-wide race for an open council seat this fall.
Morad was first elected as the Ward 1 councilor in 2003, just as New Bedford was emerging from the nadir of its post-industrial collapse. Home prices had fallen by half during the 1990s, and only in 2003 did homes recover their 1988 median sales prices.
Enter a corporate banker who knew how to keep the books straight. Morad and her financial acumen found a welcome home on the council, and 22 years later colleagues still consult with her on all financial questions. No matter their party or priority, councilors trust that Morad will ask the hard-nosed questions about what’s happening between the lines. And she always does.
In a brief statement on Monday, Morad thanked “the residents of the City for putting their trust in me to represent and serve as their voice in their City government. It has truly been an honor and a privilege that I have enjoyed immensely. I have been given many unique opportunities, met so many citizens in our City and have developed close relationships that I will always treasure.”
Council President Shane Burgo offered “sincere thanks and well wishes” to Morad in a statement Monday.
“As a freshman Councillor, I was fortunate to receive Councillor Morad’s support and mentorship, something that has meant the world to me,” Burgo said in the statement. “Councillor Morad, who many might not expect to be a natural ally given our differences in political ideology, proved to be an unlikely but invaluable friend. Despite the nonpartisan nature of our body, our differences were evident. However, what was even more powerful was our shared love for New Bedford. That common ground has always transcended party lines.”
Burgo is a registered Democrat, while Morad is a Republican and known as a more conservative councilor.
Mayor Jon Mitchell said on Monday, “Throughout her career on the City Council, Linda Morad left no doubt about her love of New Bedford and her commitment to work hard on its behalf. I wish her all the best in her next chapter.”
During her campaigns, Morad always pointed out that she was a “lifelong” resident of New Bedford. The daughter of George and Florence Morad, she attended public schools — Campbell Elementary, Normandin Middle, New Bedford High — and graduated from Providence College in 1976.
She worked as a banking executive, including for BayBanks, Bank Boston, and Fleet National Bank, eventually overseeing a “multi-billion dollar commercial loan portfolio” and hundreds of employees, according to campaign materials.
She also has served on local school councils and was the executive director of the North End Business Association, a group that advocated for the New Bedford business owners north of Coggeshall Street. Even as an At-Large councilor, Morad continued to advocate for the interests of the North End, ensuring that her home ward was never forgotten in debates about New Bedford’s future.
In 2011, Morad sought the highest office in her home city. She ran for Mayor after Scott Lang stepped down, completing his third term. Morad was outfundraised by members of New Bedford’s political old guard, including John Saunders and Antonio Cabral. Ultimately, she and they lost the election to a young federal prosecutor, Jon Mitchell, who would become her main antagonist when she returned to the council two years later.
She described the mayorship as “her dream,” but in the years since has worked to exert as much influence as possible on the city’s direction from the council’s chambers.
In votes big and small, Morad’s position was always well-researched and well-known. In reappointing a member to the Traffic Commission earlier this year, Morad sung out her vote — “YeEeEeSss” — to underscore that she thought her colleagues’ lines of questioning were unnecessary in the reappointment of a long-serving member. When approving nearly $70 million in water infrastructure upgrades, it was Morad who grilled city officials about every dollar and percentage point in their presentation.
Morad’s strong positions and stronger opinions often put her at the center of New Bedford’s fiercest debates. In some isolated instances things boiled over. In 2016, then Council President Morad asked political gadfly and frequent agitator Gilly Safioleas to exit the chamber, and police were needed to remove him. Morad and fellow councilor Gomes also filed a police report against Carlos Felix and Craig Ptaszenski, video recorders and frequent council meeting attendees, for trespassing in the council’s chambers in November 2023. A court hearing was held, but no criminal charges were filed.
All City Council seats are up for grabs in this year’s municipal election. The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers to run is Aug. 19. The preliminary election will be held Oct. 7, the general election Nov. 4.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
Councilor Morad, thank you for your twenty years of service to our city. Your knowledge of city issues and valuable contributions on the finance committee and during the budget process were of great value to the residents of New Bedford. Thanks again for your service and wishing you the best of luck in the future.
One of the two city council members who always voted to stop this mayor’s overspending. Tough to replace in a city with far left views.
New Bedford has always been far left.
That kind of thing can happen in a democracy?
We are a city of immigrants.
When did Michael’s last forefather emigrate?
Ms Morad always did the right thing…popular or not.
No grand standing, no “deals” just doing right for the people if NB.
She certainly has done more than her share and her leadership will be missed.