Swearing-In Ceremony Planned For Worcester City Manager Eric Batista

WORCESTER, MA — He's been on the job for almost a whole year, but this week Worcester City Manager Eric Batista will formally accept the job — and all city residents are invited.

Worcester will hold a swearing-in ceremony Friday for Batista. The event will happen in the Levi Lincoln Chamber at City Hall, and will feature local and state elected officials. Anyone from the public can attend.

Batista's ascent to the top position at City Hall began a decade ago, when he was hired as chief of operations and project management under former manager Michael O'Brien. After Ed Augustus Jr. became city manager in 2014, Batista became director of the new office of urban innovation, and became an assistant city manager in 2021. The city council picked him as the interim manager when Augustus stepped down in June, and hired him full-time in November.

Batista has lived in Worcester since his family moved here from Puerto Rico when he was 7. He attended North High School, UMass Amherst and Assumption for a master's degree. At age 40, he's the youngest city manager, and the first Latino to hold the job — particularly notable in a city whose population is 25 percent of Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unlike other large cities in Massachusetts with elected strong mayors like Boston and Springfield, Worcester's city manager serves as the chief executive. That means Batista makes almost every major decision in city government, with the city council serving as a check on that power. This is called a "Plan E" form of government under state law. Read the Worcester City Charter here.

Friday's swearing-in ceremony at Worcester City Hall begins at 4 p.m.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the day of the event. The swearing-in happens Friday, not Thursday.