Council refers recall-amendment petition to municipal-operations, backs citywide charter-review support

A citizen petition that would ask the state legislature to authorize recall elections for Worcester officials was the subject of heated public comment and council debate. Petitioner Johanna Hampton Dance said the petition was not intended as a personal attack but to provide a mechanism for accountability. Several residents argued both for and against the change.

Councilors discussed whether recall authority should be created piecemeal or whether the city should pursue a full charter review handled by an elected charter commission. Several councilors urged a comprehensive charter-review process that would allow voters — not the council — to decide structural changes.

The council referred the recall petition to the municipal-operations standing committee for further study and simultaneously adopted a resolution supporting resident-led efforts to place a charter-review question on the ballot through the local initiative petition process; the resolution passed on a roll-call vote. Councilors also discussed amendments and timing; the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and the municipal-operations committee will review next steps.

Ending: Councilors directed committee review and encouraged civic engagement; they will hear committee recommendations in future sessions.