Medford charter amended to keep mayor on School Committee

The City Council in a special meeting April 15 approved an amended charter that includes keeping the mayor on the School Committee, but as a voting member rather than as the chair.

The charter now goes back to the mayor, and the goal is for a finalized document to be in the hands of the Legislature in time for possible approval for inclusion on the ballot in November.

Early in the evening’s three-hour meeting, Councilor Emily Lazzaro made a motion to reverse an April 8 vote to remove the mayor from the School Committee. She made the case that retaining the mayor’s seat on the committee would give the council the best chance of having a compromise charter that everyone could get behind.

During the robust discussion that followed, Council Vice President Kit Collins stood by her reasons for having made the April 8 motion as a way to balance the power among the council the School Committee and the executive.

Others, including Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, argued the mayor brings institutional knowledge to the School Committee and plays a key role in guiding that committee. Lungo-Koehn proposed the council retain the mayor’s seat and then review the charter in five years, rather than waiting for 10 years.

The council ultimately voted to have the mayor serve as a voting member of the School Committee and to have the charter be reviewed in five years.

The meeting can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel.