Last fall, election season saw the changing of the guard at several positions from city all the way to the national level. Brooksville’s city council saw a significant amount of turnover with three new members being added and Christa Tanner being named to the role of mayor.
Council member Louis Marc Hallal, one of the newest additions to the municipal body, succeeds former Mayor Blake Bell for Seat 3 after Bell decided not to seek re-election. Mr. Hallal was one of several local candidates running for office who ran unopposed.
Having attended many of the meetings as a regular citizen, Mr. Hallal had a level of familiarity with the proceedings. He has lived in the city for over thirty years and continues to do so with his wife in the Cascades at Southern Hills.
Mr. Hallal loves the outdoors, flying, golfing, and spending time with his grandchildren, Logan and Mila. He is also an avid follower of Florida Gators sports. As part of his adoration of the skies, he holds his commercial pilot’s license, too.
Not only has Hallal lived in the county for decades, but so has his family. In fact, his father and uncle started the local pizzeria, Luigi’s Restaurant, in 1970 when it was still located in the old Publix Plaza just down the road between Ponce de Leon and Broad Street.
As is often the nature of family-owned businesses, he worked every job under the sun at his family’s restaurant. More recently, Mr. Hallal worked for the United Parcel Service for 40 years before retiring from the company following the events of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
So, what sparked the neophyte council member’s interest in local politics?
During his time living in Southern Hills, Mr. Hallal has enjoyed going for walks with his wife around dusk. Recently, their evening ambulation saw a change when the pair noticed a quarter-mile stretch of the community had been cleared completely of its lush trees.
He was not happy with this development. “I am tired of seeing developers come in and […] take down every living tree,” said Hallal. He knew he had to do something about it. Soon after, Mayor Bell would sit down for a talk with the successor of his city seat at Luigi’s.
The former mayor recommended Hallal run for Seat 3 and the rest was history. Beyond hemming in overdevelopment, the new city leader hopes to revamp Brooksville’s wastewater system. This will certainly need to be completed before any other substantial growth happens anyway, he reasoned.
Mr. Hallal emphasized to the Sun that he has no agenda and only has the best interests of the people at heart. He has appreciated the help of City Manager Charlene Kuhn, who is set to resign on January 17, in bringing him up to speed.
Hallal was officially sworn in alongside John Walter McKethan (Seat 2) and Betty Erhard (Seat 4) on December 9, 2024. They join Mayor Tanner and Vice Mayor Thomas Bronson in managing the affairs of our small town.
Council members are limited to two consecutive four-year terms with a minimum of one year out of office before being allowed to run for the position again, the city website stated. The new trio’s current terms will expire in December of 2028.
