Gavin Hanley aims to preserve Bel Air’s historic character by warding off high-density housing developments while also addressing the needs of residents and promoting public participation in local government.

Hanley is running for a four-year term as a Bel Air town commissioner in Bel Air’s 2025 Board of Commissioners election. According to the town’s code, commissioners are compensated $4,800 a year.

There are two seats up for reelection — Mayor Paula Etting and Commissioner Mary Chance. Etting has filed for reelection and Chance has opted not to seek reelection.

So far, Hanley and Matthew Gullion have filed to run for Chance’s seat.

Hanley, 27, was born and raised in Bel Air and is a graduate of Bel Air High School. His father, Terry Hanley, is the current Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation for Harford County, having formerly served as Mayor of Bel Air from 2005 to 2007, after two terms as a commissioner.

“I am running to preserve the historic character and small town charm of Bel Air,” Hanley said. “Since I grew up here, I want Bel Air to remain a safe, friendly, tight-knit community, which I grew up in.”

Having seen his father’s involvement in local politics, Hanley said he was inspired to run.

If elected, this would be Hanley’s first official employment in politics. However, he was a volunteer on County Executive Bob Cassilly’s election campaign and has been involved in local political matters through his popular Facebook page, the Bel Air Town Crier, which posts recaps and analyses of current political issues in Bel Air.

Before the current roster of town commissioners, Hanley cited frustration with the former board’s lack of consideration for residents at a time when Bel Air’s footprint was rapidly changing.

Hanley cited the proposals of the Hickory Flats apartments, Harford Mall development and the Standard on Bond mixed-use development as the three large, high-density projects residents expressed concern with.

“People weren’t happy about it, and the former board was not responsive to residents’ needs,” Hanley said. “The current board has done a good job already addressing these developments, but I think they need a strong board member to continue that work.”

If elected, Hanley said he wants to promote homeownership in the town of Bel Air and prevent large, multifamily, high-density projects from changing the town’s character.

He said he would like to evaluate how the town could maybe incentivize new developments that promote homeownership as a way to foster stronger communities and help younger residents build wealth.

Additionally, Hanley said he is interested in analyzing the town’s design standards and possibly implementing architectural guidelines to ensure that new development in the town is compatible with the existing architecture and in line with the overall “look” of Bel Air.

When asked his thoughts on the Harford Mall redevelopment project, Hanley, a resident of an area located off Bolton Street near the mall, said he is not a big fan of the apartments, but looks forward to new retail coming to Bel Air.

“I am enthusiastic about the retail and commercial space that is coming to the mall to revitalize that,” Hanley said. “I think it will be a really good economic opportunity for the town.”

Outside of development and economic growth, Hanley said he would focus on “meeting residents where they are” to encourage residents to engage with the town government by posting updates and essential information on social media through his own and the town’s official social media accounts.

“I think it is really important that town citizens are aware of anything impactful that the government is doing,” Hanley said. “They should know about these things far in advance of any official action because it gives people a time to ask questions, reach out to elected officials and raise any concerns they might have.”

Bel Air’s election will be held Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Bel Air Town Hall located at 39 N. Hickory Ave.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.