The Palmerton Borough Council welcomed new member Bill Gallagher to the group at Thursday night's meeting.

"I, William Gallagher, do solemnly swear that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity," Gallagher said as he was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Olivia.Gallagher is a member of the Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County and is the vice president of the local Meals on Wheels branch. He served in the Army from June 1965 to January 1970, and most recently retired from the Lafarge corporate office in Herndon, Virginia, where he was a field quality manager.Gallagher is replacing the seat vacated by Jeremy Barbosa, who formally resigned from the council last month."I moved here in 2007, but I've been coming here since 1970 on weekends," Gallagher said, expressing his long-held love of the region.Gallagher had wished to serve the Palmerton community for a while, and when he heard about the vacancy, he contacted council member Terry Costenbader to express his interest in the position."We interviewed three people, and out of the three people, we felt that Bill Gallagher fit the position best," Costenbader said. "He's outstanding. He's ex-military, he served with a very large corporation. He's got some great qualifications.""It's a great move," Olivia said in regard to the board's choice to appoint Gallager. "Bill's been working hard since he moved to Palmerton. He's been such an instrumental piece of the veterans'association. It was a great decision."Despite all the praise, Gallagher maintains a humble, dignified outlook for his future service to the council and Palmerton."I can't improve on the board, but I can come in as a level-headed individual," Gallagher said. "I'm just a normal guy who very much wants to be involved in community affairs."