Mayor Joe Petty Seeks Eighth Term: Focus on Affordability, Housing, and Steady Leadership
By-Hank Stolz
Photo-file
WORCESTER, MA-Incumbent Worcester Mayor Joe Petty is running for an eighth term. He stopped by Talk of the Commonwealth to outline his reasons for running, emphasizing steady leadership and a track record of results. Petty identified his top priorities as making Worcester more affordable, connected, and livable by building more housing, investing in schools and infrastructure, and ensuring reliable city services.
Petty acknowledged that the high cost of housing was a major challenge and argued that the solution was to increase the housing supply at all levels, including market-rate and affordable units, supplemented by programs like rental assistance. “It’s just about quality of life, why people want to live here and be in a welcoming city and make sure everybody’s treated fairly, that everybody has the opportunity to grow here, raise their families here and make it as affordable as possible.”
Petty addressed the homelessness crisis, linking it to housing affordability and highlighting city initiatives like supportive housing projects and a future day center. He noted a concerning trend of elderly individuals becoming homeless. “They can’t afford their homes any longer.” On the DOJ report and the WPD he contended that the police department was accountable and moving in the right direction under its current leadership, fully intending to comply with DOJ recommendations.
He listed major accomplishments of his tenure, including investing nearly a billion dollars in school construction and infrastructure, the development of the Polar Park ballpark, and other economic development projects.
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