The first thing Charles Haberstroh did when he was appointed as selectman on Wednesday evening was resign.

Moments after he was appointed, he filed his resignation letter as the senior Republican on the Board of Finance. He's been on the Board of Finance for seven years, and his background in finance is decades long.

"I hate to be on two boards at the same time, and I have been for 30 seconds now," he quipped.

The Republican Town Committee's nomination of Haberstroh for the third seat on the Board of Selectman was approved by Selectman Shelly Kassen and First Selectman Gordon Joseloff, both Democrats. They spoke highly of him before the vote.

The third seat of the town's executive branch is typically given to the loser of the first selectman race, but Gavin Anderson resigned recently due to health issues. It's a minority role that has been populated by Republicans for more than ten years.

Bob Lasprogato, who was the third selectman for nearly four years before becoming the Republican registrar of voters, attended Haberstroh's swearing-in ceremony that day. He offered some advice to to his colleague.

"Being in the minority, it's a little difficult to get your points across but there are ways to do it," Lasprogato said.

After the ceremony, the Harvard-educated Haberstroh said that he believes ideas will pass on their merit and not for partisan reasons.

"I think we all want the same kind of things, but the paths are a little different," he said.