WORCESTER—Tuesday’s Worcester City Council meeting erupted into a passionate debate over a controversial proposal that sought to require candidates for elected office to prove their U.S. citizenship through documentation. The council chambers were filled with residents eager to voice their opinions and strong emotions on item 10l, which ultimately led to a unanimous vote to file the proposal, effectively rejecting it.
The item, brought forward by Mary Ann Carroll, chair of the Worcester City Republican Committee, requested an amendment to the city charter that would require candidates, beginning with the 2025 municipal election, to prove their U.S. citizenship when filing nomination papers.
“Any voter should be eligible to hold office,” argued Carroll. “A voter defined by the Massachusetts general law chapter 51 section 1, has to be a citizen. Citizens are voters in Massachusetts; no non-citizens are voters in Massachusetts.”
However, the proposal faced immediate and strong opposition from both councilors and residents, who viewed it as unnecessary, divisive, and potentially discriminatory. Many speakers pointed out that current laws already require candidates to be registered voters, which in turn requires U.S. citizenship.
Mayor Joe Petty set the tone for the council’s response, strongly condemning the proposal: “Silence can sometimes hurt you more than speaking. This is a type of law that feeds into anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s going on in our country right now. This is also a personal attack on two of our city councilors.” He added, “I was just at a naturalization ceremony and I was pretty proud to be there because I’m pretty proud to be the mayor of a welcoming city.”
Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, an immigrant and U.S. citizen, expressed gratitude for the community’s support and criticized the proposal’s implications.
“Only registered voters who are either US born, or naturalized citizens, are allowed to run for elected office,” said Haxhiaj. “But that’s not enough for the Republican City Committee. They demand candidates like us prove we are American enough by showing our papers. Where else in history have we heard this before?”
Haxhiaj also shared a personal moment, adding, “My mother escaped war and brought me here as a 19-year-old texted me before this meeting and told me to take a deep breath. She couldn’t be here because it was too emotional for her.”
The meeting saw emotional testimonies from various residents. “I’m an Ecuadorian immigrant who immigrated to the United States when I was two years old after my father passed away,” said Domenica Perrone, Worcester resident. “In third grade I became a citizen of the U.S. after my mother worked for years to overcome the financial and systematic barriers our society has built up against immigrants. I have always loved the people of this country, the life and opportunities I’ve experienced here, the communities I’ve become a part of and the villages who have raised me to be who I am today.”
Other Worcester residents, such as Idella Hazard, said she was concerned about the proposal’s motivations. “What are they afraid of?” she asked. “Pretty soon they’re going to want fingerprints when we go to vote. And how do they decide who must prove they’re a citizen? What is this, Nazi Germany? Are they afraid that too many minorities are voting and they might get another minority in office? What is behind all of this? This is America. Let’s wake up and cut back on the oppression, not increase it.”
Casey Burns, another Worcester resident, said, “It’s obvious that this is signaling to strike fear into our immigrant communities. I would give the petitioners the benefit of the doubt that they are brainwashed into thinking that this is widespread voter fraud despite there being no evidence of this.”
Liz Leidel, a social studies and history teacher, shared her perspective. “As a social studies and history teacher of largely students of color,” she said, “including many immigrants and children of immigrants, it’s every social studies teacher’s dream that their students may consider eventually running for public office. From that perspective, my hope is that everybody on this council would stand against a proposal like this that is unnecessary and exclusionary.”
“This is a stunt to divide us, a stunt to get attention, a stunt to inflame hate, and a stunt to discourage future candidates,” said Fred Taylor, a Worcester resident. “Hate has no place in the city of Worcester. You must be a citizen to vote, which cancels out all the arguments that this petition has.”
Chizoma Nosike, an immigrant who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, pointed out the disrespectful behavior of some attendees: “I watched the ladies standing behind the speakers disrespectfully mouthing off about people, having a paper covering their mouths, and laughing at other people in opposition.”
Councilor George Russell, visibly emotional, stressed the importance of immigrants to Worcester’s identity. “This issue does not go democrat or republican,” said Russell. “This issue basically tries to undermine the confidence in the electoral process in our city and our nation. This is a hateful petition no matter how you look at it.” He added, “The story of Worcester is where immigrants come to this city for a better life. It’s where they come for their families to have a better life.”
Councilor Khrystian King argued that inclusivity is important, adding, “We must look forward. We must always be in a formal motion moving forward. But what we won’t do and what I won’t support is that we should never see ourselves through narrow eyes of limitation of our community, limitation of civic engagement, limitation of life engagement. We can’t afford to exclude, limit, or chill valuable voices.”
Thu Nguyen, councilor-at-large and Vietnamese refugee, called the proposal “extremely hateful and xenophobic,” adding, “I wasn’t going to waste my breath on this petition. It’s completely ridiculous and unworthy of our time and efforts. I want to remind all of us that we are on indigenous land and this hate has no standing here.”
The council’s unanimous decision to swiftly reject the proposal and file the item was met with relief and approval from many attendees. The heated discussion served as a reminder of Worcester’s diverse community and the ongoing challenges in balancing legal requirements with inclusivity and respect for all residents.
As the dust settled on this contentious meeting, Mayor Petty remarked that Worcester will remain a welcoming city for all, regardless of national origin.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting also highlighted the complex dynamics of immigration, citizenship, and representation in local politics, reflecting broader national debates on these issues.
Matt Olszewski is a freelance content and news writer based in Boston, MA. In his free time, Matt enjoys running, hiking or skiing. Matt is currently finishing up the MPH degree program at Tufts University. He can be reached at mattoskier@gmail.com
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