Joseph Petty
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Joseph M. Petty is an American attorney, politician and the current
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
.


Early life and education

Raised in Worcester, Petty graduated from
Holy Name Central Catholic High School St. Paul Diocesan Junior-Senior High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. It was established on the site of Holy Name Central Catholic ...
. He attended
Nichols College Nichols College is a Private college, private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1931 as Nichols Junior College, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs. History Nichol ...
and earned a
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from
New England School of Law New England Law Boston (formerly New England School of Law, and styled as New England Law Boston) is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded as Portia School of Law in 1908 and is located in downtown Boston near the Massa ...
.


Political career

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 Konstantina Bequary "Konnie" Lukes (born October 13, 1941) is an American politician who served fifteen two-year terms as a Councilor-At-Large in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts. She also served as Mayor of Worcest ...
, 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 A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
and
Worcester City Hall and Common The Worcester City Hall and Common, the civic heart of the city, are a historic city hall and town common at 455 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. The city hall and common were added to the National Register of Historic Plac ...
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. During the
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 election. The primaries and caucuses took p ...
, he gave his endorsement to
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
's
candidacy A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...
. On February 22, 2022, Petty filed to run for
Massachusetts Senate's 1st Worcester district Massachusetts Senate's 1st Worcester district in the United States is one of 40 legislative districts of the Massachusetts Senate. It covers portions of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester county. Massachusetts Democratic Party, Democrat R ...
. 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petty, Joseph Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts City Council members Nichols College alumni New England Law Boston alumni Massachusetts Democrats 21st-century mayors of places in Massachusetts