Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty On 6th Term, What's Next For City

WORCESTER, MA — After 24 years as an At-Large City Councilor — 10 of those years as mayor — what's left to do for Joseph Petty?

Plenty, he says. Petty, 61, is running for his sixth term in 2021 as mayor, and he's looking forward to a new term to tackle capital projects at schools and continue the recent spree of economic development in Worcester, largely centered around Polar Park.

But he will have competition. In Worcester, At-Large City Council candidates choose whether to also run for mayor. In 2021, first term At-Large Councilor Donna Colorio, activist Bill Coleman and funeral home director Peter Stefan are all in the mayoral mix.

We sent each candidate a questionnaire. Here's what Petty had to say about his run in 2021:

Why are you running for City Council (and mayor) in 2021?

I’m running to continue the great work that has been done over my last ten years as mayor. These are priorities like opening three new schools and investing over $70 million more dollars in upgrading school facilities, continuing to build off the success of Polar Park and making sure that our city moves forward in an equitable way.

There are now hundreds of housing units planned near Polar Park. What does Worcester have to do to ensure that these developments 1) don't overcrowd the neighborhood and 2) don't push out lower-income residents?

When it comes to our urban core and neighborhoods like the Canal District, we are taking vacant land or underutilized parcels and creating space for housing and retail. In this kind of neighborhood, you want feet on the street.

We are doing what we can to ensure that low-income residents are displaced by rising rents through the creation of affordable housing. The city already has almost 15 percent of its housing as affordable and we’re starting a new affordable housing trust fund to create more.

The City Council voted 8-3 in March to adopt ShotSpotter Connect. Why did you vote the way you did?

It was the right decision. The original ShotSpotter program has been incredibly effective at identifying shooting incidents across the area it serves. The hope is that Connect program will build off that success. It is a pilot program and if it proves ineffective or an inefficient use of taxpayer funds, it can be discontinued.

What's your stance on making WRTA buses free permanently? Following up on that, when was the last time you rode a WRTA bus?

I would support making buses and all public transportation free, but WRTA needs to be examined as part of the larger, statewide picture. There needs to be consistent and reliable bus service connecting not only the cities and towns in the WRTA service area but also connected with other regional transit authorities.

What's one thing that's missing in Worcester that you would like to see added?

A new East Middle School and a new Burncoat High School.