Joseph M. Petty, Mayor & Councilor-at-Large

The City of Worcester is governed by a Council-Manager, or Plan E, form of government with a popularly elected Mayor, 11 City Council Members and a City Manager.

About the Mayor

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Joseph M. Petty, Executive Secretary to the employee's retirement system of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, is serving his fourteenth two-year term as Councilor-At-Large and his seventh term as Mayor of the City of Worcester. He is also the Chairman of the Worcester School Committee.

Joseph M. Petty has served as Mayor of the City of Worcester since January 2012. Mayor Petty was born and raised in the City's Hadwen Park neighborhood and is the son of Francis and Bernadine Petty. He is a graduate of Holy Name High Central Catholic High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Nichols College along with obtaining a Juris Doctor from the New England School of Law. His political career began in 1997 when he was first elected to the Worcester City Council and has since gone on to become the longest serving mayor in Worcester's history. Throughout his time as Mayor, he has put education first, securing over half a billion dollars in new school investments through collaboration with the City Council, School Committee and partners at the state and federal levels. He is most known for his commitment to the community engagement and being the leader of a welcoming city. Mayor Petty has also led in the redevelopment of previously overlooked districts such as the Worcester Common Outlets, CitySquare and the Canal District, leading to the revitalization and rebranding of Worcester as an "up-and-coming" city. He is married to his wife Gayle and has three children, Joseph, Nicole and Andrew.