Politics & Government
Woburn Council Makes One More Alderman-To-Councilor Title Change
The City Council forgot to change its own rules when it got state permission for a gender-neutral title.
WOBURN, MA — Woburn City Council recently voted to complete the gender-neutral renaming of its members' title, months after Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill making the change to the city's charter.
The city petitioned the state in Sept. 2020 to change the title from "alderman" to "city councilor," reflecting a prior switch from "Board of Aldermen" to "City Council." Because the title change was an alteration to the city charter, it required a home rule petition to the state, which was granted in October.
But the council forgot to change its own rules to reflect the new title.
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At their Jan. 18 meeting, the council voted to incorporate the new name into the Rules and Orders of the City Council.
As an amendment to their own rules, the vote required just one reading.
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The full meeting is available here from Woburn Public Media Center.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.
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