Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty to run for reelection
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty is running for reelection this year.
Petty will announce his candidacy at Burncoat High School on Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement from his campaign.
First elected in 2011, Petty has served seven terms as mayor and is now seeking an eighth. He plans to run on "a commitment to education, affordable housing, public safety, economic development—and to being a mayor who brings people together."
During his tenure as mayor, Petty has seen the construction of the new Doherty High Schoo l, which was completed in 2024. He also came out in support of designating Worcester as a sanctuary city fortransgender and gender-diverse people.
Recently, Petty, along with District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, expressed support for a ballot question asking residents if they support private higher education institutions in the city being obligated to invest 0.5% of their endowments into a city fund designated for helping "finance needed housing, economic and community development projects."
The council approved the ballot question unanimously during the last council meeting.
Petty is not alone in the race for Worcester mayor.
Worcester City Councilor and City Council Vice-Chair Khrystian King announced his candidacy for mayor in February, saying that the city needs to "reject petty politics, come together and get things done."
"We can't let Worcester become another unaffordable extension of Boston," King said in his announcement.
King previously ran for mayor in 2023 but lost to Petty.
