Ron Labelle, the longtime former Commissioner of New Bedford’s Department of Public Infrastructure, will become a member of Dartmouth’s Board of Public Works after the Select Board appointed him to the seat at a May 10 meeting.

“Mr. Labelle has a pretty good career as a public works superintendent for the City of New Bedford for 43 years,” laughed Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald at the meeting. “If I use the word stellar, it’s probably not describing it well enough.”

“I’m looking forward to working for the town,” said Labelle. “I’ve lived in the town for 43 years, but I worked in New Bedford for most of my career.”

After working in construction in the private sector for some years, he said, he went to work for the city, where he undertook “quite a few projects that were some of them pretty big.”

“I think in my career I’ve spent half a billion dollars on water and wastewater projects,” he noted. “I could go on and on.”

Although Labelle retired in 2016, he said he wanted to volunteer to help the town where he lives.

“I’ve lived here most of my adult life and [it’s] time to give back,” he said. “I need to get my feet wet.”

Select Board members welcomed Labelle aboard with evident enthusiasm.

“I look forward to working with you,” noted Vice Chair David Tatelbaum. “Thanks again for joining us.”

McDonald said that once Labelle’s name came up as a candidate, it was a “no-brainer” decision for the Select Board.

“Clearly, this was a slam dunk,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have you aboard.”