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Medford mayor, delegation ask committee to favorably report home‑rule petition to adopt new city charter
Summary
Medford officials told the Joint Committee that a new charter approved by the city's charter study committee and city council would modernize governance with ward representation, a four‑year mayoral term and periodic charter review; the delegation requested the committee's favorable report to place the question on the November ballot.
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo‑Chelminiak and members of the city's state legislative delegation urged the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government to report favorably on a home‑rule petition to adopt a new Medford city charter.
Mayor Lungo‑Chelminiak described the city's current charter as outdated and said the new document reflects nearly two years of public outreach conducted by a Charter Study Committee with technical assistance from the Collins Center for Public Management at UMass Boston. “Medford's two‑page charter has not been updated for almost four decades,” the mayor said, and the new charter, she added, would “allow for robust dialogue, better representation, and engagement within our community.”
Delegation members including Leader Donato and Senator Jalen (members of the Medford delegation) told the committee the charter study committee held dozens of public meetings, surveys and listening sessions and the city council overwhelmingly approved placing the charter on the ballot. Leader Donato summarized the principal structural changes: the mayoral term would move from two to four years; the council would shift from an all‑at‑large model to eight ward councilors (one per ward) plus three citywide councilors; the school committee would remain elected at large; and the charter includes an initial five‑year review and subsequent decennial reviews.
Committee members asked procedural questions about recommended Secretary of State edits and about local adoption mechanics; no formal committee action was taken. Mayor Lungo‑Chelminiak and the Medford delegation asked the joint committee to report the home‑rule petition favorably so voters can decide on the charter at the November ballot.
