WORCESTER—Worcester City Councilors voted unanimously this week to refer a proposal exploring a review of the city’s governing charter to committee, following a request from Councilor Gary Rosen to begin a public discussion about whether the nearly 40-year-old document still meets the city’s needs.
Rosen emphasized that he is not advocating for specific changes to the charter, last revised in the late 1980s, but said the city should be open to periodically reexamining how its government functions.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of when you just take a look at the charter—just review it,” Rosen said, noting that a petition effort is underway to place a charter commission question before voters.
“Maybe a commission would say, ‘This is the greatest charter since sliced bread, and [we] don’t have to make any changes.’ I don’t think that will happen, but that certainly is a possibility,” Rosen said, requesting that the issue be sent to the Committee on Municipal and Legislative Operations for a public discussion. “Let us have a public hearing, so people can come down and speak in favor of charter review someday, or some people might say, ‘It’s only been 40 years, let’s wait another 40.’”
Rosen also reflected on the charter’s history, saying he was teaching at Doherty High School when it was debated. One of his students at the time, Joe O’Brien, later served on the School Committee and as Worcester’s mayor.
Responding to questions from councilors, City Clerk Niko Vangjeli said a citizen petition is required to initiate a charter commission and that commission members cannot be appointed by the council. Prospective members must collect signatures and run for election, similar to candidates for city council or school committee.
City Solicitor Alexandra Kalkounis outlined the legal pathways available for charter changes, depending on their scope. She said changes affecting the composition of the City Council, the form of government, or the terms of the mayor, city manager or councilors would require a formal charter review process initiated by petition. Other changes could be made through special legislation or City Council action, though those options cannot alter the structure of city government or elected officials’ terms.
Nonbinding question on the ballot?
Council Vice Chair Khrystian King asked whether the council could place a nonbinding question about charter review on the ballot. Kalkounis said that option is legally permissible and has been used previously.
Councilor Satya Mitra questioned the timing of the request and asked whether Worcester has any system for routine charter review.
“Is there any number of years that we have, that we should review the charter? Is it 20 years, is it 30 years?” Mitra asked.
“It was time 10 years ago, it was time 20 years ago,” Rosen responded. “We can talk about that, too. We can have that discussion that maybe every 10 years, we can look at the charter. But, certainly, every 40 years is not often enough.”
Mayor Joe Petty said Worcester does not have a set schedule for charter review, though other municipalities do.
“Some cities and towns do have it in their charter that it should be reviewed every X number of years,” Petty said.
Several residents also addressed the council during public comment.
“I support city charter review — governance should be examined periodically,” resident Glenn Pape said. “However, what’s mostly holding us back isn’t the charter; it’s execution, starting right here in this chamber. Charter review is no substitute for the council setting SMART goals. Take public tracking of report requests. The council has raised the issue, but has not yet required it, and set standards of action.”
The council voted unanimously to refer the matter to the Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee, chaired by Mitra and including Rosen and Councilor Morris Bergman.
Health data prompts committee review
In a separate unanimous vote, councilors also referred concerns to committee following the release of new state health data showing elevated rates of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease among seniors in a section of downtown Worcester.
The data comes from the 2025 Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report, conducted by the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston with support from the Point32 Health Foundation. The report identified Census Tract 7137 as having the highest incidence of both strokes and Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia among Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older.
According to the study, 25.5 percent of seniors in the tract have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, compared with a statewide average of 12.9 percent. The report also found that 18.48 percent of seniors in the area have experienced a stroke, compared with 11.2 percent statewide. The tract also has higher poverty levels and greater racial diversity.
Rosen: Disparity warrants closer examination
Rosen said that of the tract’s roughly 3,700 residents, more than half are 65 or older, and said the disparity warrants closer examination. He requested that the issue be referred to the Committee on Public Health and Human Services, on which he serves.
“We’ll be the sleuths,” Rosen said. “We’ll invite people in, and try to find out why is this census tract so different than those in Boston, those in Springfield, and those in New Bedford? There’s got to be something here that gives these folks, these residents in this area, the seniors…what is causing them to have a greater incidence of strokes and dementia than any other census tract in Massachusetts?”
Rosen cited poverty, education and access to medical care as possible contributing factors, adding that some seniors may mistakenly view cognitive decline as an inevitable part of aging.
“A lot of folks, when they get older, they assume that their memory is going to go, that when they start suffering from dementia, they assume that ‘oh, it’s because I’m getting older, and I have to put up with this,’” Rosen said. “They don’t realize that maybe it’s time to see a doctor and maybe there’s something that can be done.”
The council voted unanimously to refer the item to committee.
Steve Smith can be reached at steve@stevephotographysmith.com
