Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Voters in New Bedford on Nov. 7 approved the extension of the mayoral term from two years to four, while a nonbinding question in Westfield seeking public input on a similar extension was defeated.
New Bedford’s first four-year mayoral term will begin in January 2020, after the next mayoral election in November 2019.
New Bedford is the 22nd community in Massachusetts to adopt a four-year term for its mayor. Four-year terms have been adopted in Boston, Braintree, Everett, Framingham, Greenfield, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lynn, Malden, Melrose, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Waltham, West Springfield, and Weymouth.
Most recently, Framingham voted in April to become a city with a four-year mayoral term. West Springfield voters approved a four-year mayoral term last year that takes effect in January, and in 2015 Holyoke voters approved a four-year mayoral term that takes effect this January as well.