ABOUT ME

Raised in Worcester by Francis and Bernadine Petty, Joe Petty grew up in the Hadwen Square neighborhood. He graduated from Holy Name Central Catholic High School where he was a model student, and worked nights and weekends as a cook at the neighborhood’s favorite spot, Abdow’s Big Boy Restaurant. He went on to receive a BS in Business Administration from Nichols College and a law degree from New England School of Law in Boston.

Joe was first elected to the Worcester City Council in 1997 where he served for over a decade. He became the City of Worcester’s 59th mayor in 2011.

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Throughout his time serving Worcester, Joe has been working to provide real results while exercising budgetary prudence at City Hall.

 

As mayor, Joe secured over half a billion dollars in new school investments, built the largest municipal solar array in Massachusetts, and invested in our seniors with a new wellness center. Joe has also led in the redevelopment of previously overlooked districts such as the Worcester Common Outlets, City Square, and the Canal District, leading to the revitalization and rebranding of Worcester as an “up-and-coming” city. Additionally, he has been a leader in bringing arts and culture to the city, embracing immigrants and refugees, and restorative, community-led policies when it comes to reducing youth violence.

In 2019, Joe became the first-ever mayor in Worcester’s history to win a fifth term as mayor. In 2021, Joe won a sixth term as mayor. His agenda, both as Councilor and as Mayor, had been consistently focused on education, jobs, public safety and the quality of life in the neighborhood. He works closely with state, federal and community partners, fostering relationships between the public and private sectors.

Colleagues and constituents know him as a voice of reason and as the consensus builder on the City Council, a leadership style which he is proud of.

When Joe isn’t working hard in City Hall, he works as an attorney, with a day job running a multi-million-dollar pension system. Joe and his wife Gayle Perrone, have three children together: Nicole, Joseph, and Andrew.