A former Lehighton councilman and mayor passed away on Monday.

Miles Haberman was 54 years old in 1990 when he was hired to manage the borough of Lehighton. He was the husband of Marie J. Scherer Haberman.Council selected Haberman from a list of a dozen applicants to serve as manager. Haberman had served as a councilman in Lehighton from 1981 to 1984 and as mayor from 1986 to 1989.Before taking on Lehighton Borough, Haberman had been president and CEO of Jim Thorpe National Bank and had previously worked for Hazleton National Bank as a teller and vice president of loans. Everyone who knew him considered him a gentleman."I only knew him from council," said Ed Conarty, who served as fire chief in Lehighton under Haberman. "We had a very good relationship. He was a nice man. He was always ready to listen to me when I had a problem and gave me an answer. It may not always have been the answer I wanted, but with him he always had a solution. I'm sure he will be missed. He worked very good as a manager."Scott Rehrig, vice president of Lehighton Council, said that he never actually worked with Haberman, but knew him to be a very dedicated mayor and council member when he was part of the borough."I knew him to be a former veteran of the United States Air Force," said Rehrig. "He served his country proudly. He was a great guy and a gentleman."Haberman served in the United States Air Force for 20 years during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of Senior Master Sergeant.