The clock is ticking on an attempt to let voters decide this fall on changes to the governing system and structure of the city, and some officials in Somerville are frustrated that approval is delayed by the mayor’s interest in adding language to make mayoral terms four years instead of two starting in 2028.
“After years of hard work and compromise, the full City Council approved this new charter and all we need now is the mayor’s signature. I truly hope that the mayor won’t throw out years of hard work and compromise over the issue of a four-year mayor’s term,” councilor Ben Ewen-Campen said by text.
“I’m more than happy to take up mayor term length as a separate ballot question and let the public weigh in, but by no means should that single issue derail the whole charter process.”
Key revisions to the charter, which dates back to 1899, include ward councilor vacancies requiring special elections instead of being done by appointments. The revisions also grant council access to advisory legal counsel, as only the city has legal counsel now, and include a streamlined 30-day confirmation process for department heads, among other modernizations.
The council and mayor Katjana Ballantyne worked with the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, to navigate changes.
“The proposal for a four-year mayoral term is not about any individual administration, it’s about good governance and long-term planning,” city spokesperson Grace Munn said in an email.
“A four-year term aligns Somerville with the majority of Massachusetts municipalities and every other city that has recently gone through charter reform. It allows for more stability, stronger policy implementation and better accountability to residents. That’s why it was recommended by the Charter Advisory Committee, and why it’s included in the version supported by the administration.”
The neighboring city of Cambridge is undergoing a charter review process too. Its City Council rejected four-year terms for its mayor as unusual, pointing to two-year terms being a standard for city and town elected officials and for state legislators.
The charter serves as the local constitution for city government and dictates procedures for elections and vacancies. It also guides the management of government, the taxes charged, bonds issued, and the powers of police and fire departments. The revision process dates back to 2008 and has not occurred without tension between the mayor and council.
A charter review committee was convened in 2021 by former Mayor Joseph Curtatone to review and make recommendations based on feedback from the community and stakeholders. Cities such as Somerville cannot change the charter without approval by the state.
In a March 29 newsletter to constituents, councilor Jake Wilson agreed with the mayor and the committee’s recommendation for a four-year term but does not want to slow the process.
He wrote, “I’m calling on the mayor to sign the home rule petition and get it before Beacon Hill so our state delegation can start the task of convincing their colleagues to support it and get it on the ballot for Somerville voters this fall. Enough is enough. Let’s move forward with this.”
The councilors are concerned about a time crunch for the fall municipal elections. Once the mayor signs a home rule petition, it is forwarded on to the state Legislature. Legislators then have the power to allow the issue to be brought to voters by a referendum.
Many other towns and cities are trying to organize similar ballot initiatives at the same time with the state. Somerville and Cambridge are among the last municipalities to submit home rule petition changes.
“The fact that multiple communities are advancing home rule petitions at the same time doesn’t hinder anyone’s chances, it simply reflects a shared moment of local governance modernization across the state,” Munn said. “Charter reform is a multiyear, highly technical process, and different communities move through it at different paces. Somerville’s process has been underway since 2020 and was delayed before this administration stepped in to help move it toward completion. We’re now trying to finalize that work, and do so in a way that reflects the community’s recommendations, not just the political moment.
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