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Joseph Petty

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American politician For the 19th-century New York state senator, see Joseph H. Petty.

Joseph Petty
Petty in 2022
Mayor of Worcester
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2, 2012
Preceded byJoseph C. O'Brien
Member of the Worcester City Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
1998
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseGayle Perrone
Children3
ResidenceWorcester, Massachusetts
Alma materNichols College
New England Law
ProfessionAttorney

Joseph M. Petty is an American attorney, politician and the current mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Raised in Worcester, Petty graduated from Holy Name Central Catholic High School. He attended Nichols College and earned a Juris Doctor degree from New England School of Law.

Political career

Petty in 2014

Petty was first elected to the Worcester City Council in 1997. After serving six two-year terms on the council, he mounted a campaign for mayor in 2011 when incumbent Joseph C. O'Brien decided not to seek reelection due to family concerns. He defeated former mayor Konstantina Lukes, perennial candidate Bill Coleman, and Carmen Carmona by earning 48% of votes cast. During the preceding campaign, Petty received the endorsement of Congressman Jim McGovern.

As mayor, Petty has overseen the partial demolition and redevelopment of Worcester Common Outlets, an abandoned downtown mall. This effort involves recreating a direct roadway between Union Station and Worcester City Hall and Common that was lost when the mall was built in the 1960s.

In May 2012, Petty brokered a tax reform compromise among city councilors. Some councilors favored a sharp decrease in the city's commercial tax rate, while others wished to maintain the lowest possible residential tax rate. Petty proposed a comprise that decreased the commercial tax rate by $5.57 and raised the residential tax rate ¢92 per $1000 of assessed value. This tax reform, which passed on a 6–5 vote, was the subject of controversy, for it came in the wake of a revelation that annual property revaluations would lead to significantly higher commercial tax bills. While the city's assessors contended that the increased tax bills were due to reforms, such as considering a building's exact vacancy rate when calculating its assessment, other figures accused past administrations of improperly overriding assessments to provide lower tax bills. He was reelected to a second term in 2013. He was reelected to a third term in 2015.

In early 2017, Petty apologized after he was caught on tape making disparaging remarks about people protesting a city council proposal. Earlier in the evening, he had thanked the protestors, saying they made Worcester proud.

He was reelected to a fourth term in 2017. In 2019, Petty was reelected to a fifth term. This made him the first-ever mayor in the history of Worcester to receive a fifth two-year term as mayor. In 2021, Petty won a sixth term as mayor and thirteenth term as a city councilor.

Murray and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito in 2021

During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, he gave his endorsement to Elizabeth Warren's candidacy.

Petty at an event with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2023

On February 22, 2022, Petty filed to run for Massachusetts Senate's 1st Worcester district. He had previously been floated as a potential candidate following incumbent Harriette L. Chandler's decision to retire. He officially announced his candidacy for the seat on March 9. He was defeated in the September 6 Democratic primary by Robyn Kennedy.

Personal life

Petty is married to his wife Gayle Perrone and they have three children.

References

  1. ^ "Mayor Petty". Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  2. "Two Minutes With . . . Joe Petty". Worcester Magazine. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  3. Nick Kotsopoulos (September 17, 2011). "O'Brien ends re-election bid for city mayor; Family challenges cited". Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
  4. "Election Results". Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  5. Nick Kotsopoulos (October 23, 2011). "In mayor's race, no clear leader". Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
  6. Walter Bird (July 4, 2012). "GoLocalWorcester Sits Down With Worcester Mayor". GoLocal Worcester. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  7. Walter Bird (May 23, 2012). "Worcester's Contentious Tax Debate". GoLocal Worcester. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  8. Jeremy Shulkin (May 16, 2012). "Worcester's Contentious Tax Debate". Worcester Magazine. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  9. Kyle Scott Clauss (February 2, 2017). "Worcester Mayor Caught on Hot Mic Calling Trump Protestors 'Freakin' Morons'". Boston Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  10. Kotsopoulos, Nick (November 5, 2019). "Petty wins historic fifth term as Worcester mayor". telegram.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  11. Elfland, Mike (September 28, 2021). "What you need to know about the Nov. 2 municipal election in Worcester". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  12. DeCosta-Kilpa, Nik (February 25, 2020). "Read the full list of Elizabeth Warren's Massachusetts endorsements". Boston.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  13. McNamara, Neal (February 22, 2022). "Worcester Mayor Petty Seeking State Senate Seat, Filing Indicates". Worcester, MA Patch. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  14. Cartolano, Marco (January 26, 2022). "Early names emerge in race to succeed Sen. Harriette Chandler". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  15. Turken, Sam (March 9, 2022). "Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty running for state Senate". WGBH-TV. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  16. Cartolano, Marco (September 6, 2022). "Robyn Kennedy in line to claim 1st Worcester seat in state Senate". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  17. "About Joe". Retrieved January 5, 2011.
Political offices
Preceded byJoseph C. O'Brien Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts
January 2, 2011 - present 		Succeeded byIncumbent
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