City of Somerville, Massachusetts - File #: 194675

• File #: 194675
• Version: 1
• Type: Home Rule Petition
• Status: Placed on File
• File created: 4/22/2013
• In control: City Council
• On agenda: 4/25/2013
• Final action: 12/12/2013
• Enactment date: 12/12/2013
• Enactment #: 194675
• Title: That this Board approves a Home Rule Petition to amend Section 7 of Title 2 of Division 1 of the City Charter re: filling vacancies.
• Sponsors: William A. White Jr., Rebekah L. Gewirtz, John M. Connolly, Dennis M. Sullivan, Tony Lafuente, Courtney O Keefe, Maryann M. Heuston
• Code sections: Home Rule Petition -
• Related files: 195021, 194849, 195742, 195877, 196051

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/12/2013	10	City Council	Approved as amended
12/3/2013	9	Legislative Matters Committee	Approved as amended
11/26/2013	8	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
11/12/2013	7	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
10/17/2013	6	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
9/25/2013	5	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
6/18/2013	4	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
5/28/2013	3	Legislative Matters Committee	Kept in committee
4/25/2013	2	City Council	Referred for recommendation

  Agenda Text

title

That this Board approves a Home Rule Petition to amend Section 7 of Title 2 of Division 1 of the City Charter re: filling vacancies.

body

Official Text

  Section 7 of Title 2 of Division 1 of the Somerville City Charter shall be amended as follows:

Strike the language “But if the vacancy in the office of alderman shall occur less than one year prior to any regular municipal election, it shall be filled for the remainder of the term by the board of aldermen by a majority vote of all its members. The person elected to fill such vacancy shall be chosen from the ward in which the vacancy occurs.”

Replace the struck language with the following language:

But if the vacancy in office of alderman at large shall occur less than one year prior to any regular election, the vacant position shall be filled by the defeated candidates for the office of alderman at large in the preceding municipal election by their order of finish, provided that such defeated candidates received at least 40% of all ballots cast for the office of alderman at large. If such qualifying defeated candidates decline the appointment or there are no qualifying defeated candidates for alderman at large, then the Board of Aldermen, by majority vote of all of its members, shall select the person to fill such vacancy. But if the vacancy in the office of ward alderman shall occur less than one year prior to any regular election, the vacant position shall be filled by the defeated candidate for the office of the vacant ward alderman in the preceding municipal election, provided that such defeated candidate received at least 40% of all ballots cast for the office of the ward alderman. If there is no such qualifying defeated candidate, or such person declines the appointment, then the vacancy shall be filled by the then sitting school committee person in such ward. If the then sitting school committee person declines such appointment or there is no sitting school committee person, then the Board of Aldermen, by majority vote of all of its members, shall fill such vacancy with a person who is a registered voter in the ward as of January 1 of the year in which the vacancy arose.

NOTE: See #196051 for the Approved Home Rule Petition.