Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represen- | places, and qualified to act. It shall be the duty
tatives, in General Court assembled, and by the
authority of the same, as follows.

SECT. 1. The inhabitants of the town of Worcester shall continue to be a body politic and corporate, under the name of the City of Worcester, and, as such, shall have, exercise, and enjoy, all the rights, immunities, powers and privileges, and shall be subject to all the duties and obligations now incumbent upon, and appertaining to, said town as a municipal corporation.

of such warden to preside at all ward meetings, with the powers of moderator of town meetings. And if at any such meeting, the warden shall not be present, the clerk of such ward shall call the meeting to order, and preside until a warden pro-tempore, shall be chosen by ballot. And if, at any meeting, the clerk shall not be present, a clerk, protempore, shall be chosen by ballot. The clerk shall record all the proceedings, and certify the votes given, and deliver over to his successor SECT. 2. The administration of all the fiscal, in office all such records and journals, together prudential and municipal affairs of said city, with all other documents and papers, held by him with the government thereof, shall be vested in in said capacity. It shall be the duty of the inone principal officer, to be styled the mayor; one spectors of elections to assist the warden in receivcouncil of eight, to be called the board of alder-ing, assorting and counting the votes. And the men; and one council, of twenty-four, to be cal-warden, clerk, and inspectors, so chosen, shall led the common-council, which boards, in their respectively make oath faithfully and impartialjoint capacity, shall be denominated the city coun-ly to discharge their several duties relative to all cil, and the members thereof shall be sworn to the elections, which oath may be administered by the faithful performance of the duties of their respect- cterk of such ward to the warden, and by the wardive offices. A majority of each board shall con- en to the clerk and inspectors, or by any justice of <stitute a quorum for the transaction of business, the peace for the county of Worcester. A certiand no member of either board shall receive any ficate that the oath has been taken shall be entercompensation for his services. ed upon the records of the ward, by the clerk SECT. 3. It shall be the duty of the selectmen of thereof. All warrants for the meetings of the the town of Worcester, as soon as may be after citizens for municipal purposes, to be held either the passage of this act, and its acceptance by the in wards or in general meetings, shall be issued inhabitants, as hereinafter provided, to divide by the mayor and aldermen, and shall be in such said town into eight wards, to contain, as nearly form, and shall be served, executed, and returned as may be, conveniently, an equal number of in- in such manner and at such time, as the city habitants. And it shall be the duty of the city-council may by any by-law, direct. council, once in five years, and not oftener, to revise, and if it be needful, to alter said wards, in such manner as to preserve, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants in each ward, having due regard to convenience in other re-mon councilmen shall be elected, from and by spects.

SECT. 4. On the first Monday in March, annually, there shall be chosen by ballot, in each of said wards, a warden, clerk, and three inspectors of elections, residents of the wards in which they are chosen, who shall hold their offices for one year, and until others shall have been chosen in their

SECT. 5. The mayor and eight aldermen, one
alderinan being selected from each ward, shall be
elected by the qualified voters of the city, at large,
voting in their respective wards. And three com-

the voters of each ward, and shall at the time of
their election be residents of the wards, respect-
ively, in which they are elected. All said officers
shall be chosen by ballot. The common coun-
cilmen shall hold their offices for one year from
the first Monday in April in each year. The al-
dermen shall hold their offices until a majority of

1548.

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the new board shall be elected and qualified in | justice of the peace for the county of Worcester.

their places, and the mayor shall continue in office until another shall be elected and qualified in his place.

The aldermen and common councilmen elect shall, on the first Monday of April, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon, meet in convention, when the oath required by this act shall be administered to the members of the two boards present, by the mayor or any justice of the peace for the county of Wor

taken shall be entered on the journal of the mayor and aldermen, and of the common council, by their respective clerks.

And whenever it shall appear that a mayor has not been elected previously to the first Monday of April aforesaid, the mayor and aldermen, for the time being, shall make a record of that fact, an

After the oath has been administered as afore. said, the two boards shall separate, and the common council shall be organized by the choice of a president and clerk, to hold their offices respectively during the pleasure of the common council; the clerk to be under oath faithfully to perform the duties of his said office.

In case of the absence of the mayor elect on the first Monday of April, or if a mayor shall not then have been elected, the city government shall organize itself in the manner hereinbefore provided, and may proceed to business in the same manner as if the mayor were present; and the oath of office may, at any time thereafter, in convention of the two boards, be administered to the mayor, and any member of the city council who may have been absent at the organization.

SECT. 6. On the first Monday in March, annually, inmediately after a warden, clerk, and inspectors shall have been elected and sworn, the qualified voters in each ward, shall give in theircester, and a certificate of such oath having been votes for mayor, aldermen and common councilmen, as provided in the preceding section; all the votes so given shall be assorted, counted, de clared and recorded, in open ward meeting, by causing the names of persons voted for, and the number of votes given for each, to be written in the ward record at length. The clerk of the ward, within twenty-four hours after such elec-attested copy of which the city clerk shall read at tion, shall deliver to the persons elected members the opening of the convention, to be holden as of the common council, certificates of their elect- aforesaid. " ions, respectively, signed by the warden and clerk, and by a majority of the inspectors of elections, and shall deliver to the city clerk a copy of the record of such elections, certified in like manner. Provided, however, that if the choice of members of the common council, shall not be effected on that day in any ward, the meeting in such ward may be adjourned, from time to time, to complete such election. The board of aldermen shall, as soon as conveniently may be, examine the copies of the records of the several wards, certified as aforesaid, and shall cause the person who shall have been elected mayor to be notified, in writing, of his election; but if it shall appear that no person has received a majority of the votes, or if the person elected shall refuse to accept the office, the board shall issue warrants for a new election, and the same proceedings shall be had, in all, respects, as are hereinbefore provided for the choice of mayor, and, from time to time, shall be repeated, until a mayor shall be chosen and shall accept said office. In case of the decease, resignation, or absence of the mayor, or of his inability to perform the duties of his office, it shall be the duty of the board of aldermen and the common council, respectively, by vote, to declare that a vacancy exists, and the cause thereof; and, thereupon, the two boards shall meet in convention, and elect a mayor to fill such vacancy, and the mayor, thus elected, shall hold his office until the inability causing such vacancy shall be removed, or until a new election.dinate officers. And he may, whenever in his If it shall appear that the whole number of aldermen have not been elected, the same proceedings shall be had as are hereinbefore provided in regard to the choice of mayor. Each alderman shall be notified in writing of his election by the mayor and aldermen for the time being.

The oath prescribed by this act shall be administered to the mayor by the city clerk, or by any

In the absence of the mayor, the board of aldermen may choose a presiding officer, pro tempore, who shall also preside at joint meetings of the two boards. Each board shall keep a record of its own proceedings, and judge of the elections of its own members: and in case of failure of election, or in case of vacancy, declared by either board, the mayor and aldermen shall issue their warrants for a new election.

SECT. 7. The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the city. It shall be his duty to be vigilant and active in causing the laws and regulations of the city to be enforced, and to keep a general supervision over the conduct of all subor

opinion the public good may require, remove, with the consent of the appointing power, any officer over whose appointment he has, in accordance with the provisions of this charter, exercised the power of nomination.

He may call special meetings of the boards of aldermen and common council, or either of them, when, in his opinion, the interests of the city re