City Council Moniker Officially Replaces Last Board Of Aldermen

MELROSE, MA — The Board of Aldermen is no more in Massachusetts. With a scribble of Gov. Charlie Baker's pen early Tuesday evening, the legislative body of Melrose changed from the Board of Aldermen to City Council.

Melrose was the last municipality in the state to preserve the now-extinct title. City Council is not only gender-neutral, advocates argued, but much more in line with the rest of the state. There are aldermen in Woburn, but as a whole they make up a city council.

Melrose's Board voted to make the change in April.

It's unclear when the particulars will be taken care of. The City Council will feature mostly new faces next year; all of their campaign materials are still adorned with "alderman." The aldermanic chambers may also be in line for a name change.

The change to City Council comes just a week after Board President Jen Lemmerman stepped down. Lemmerman, who unsuccessfully tried to push the measure through in 2016, spearheaded the effort this year.

"With this vote, Melrose is a step closer to choosing a title that brings us up to speed with the rest of the state," Lemmerman told Patch in April. "Words matter, and tonight we chose a title that is more accurate, more inclusive and better reflects our community."