Boston city councilors unhappy with having to work this past New Year’s Day are seeking a change in the city charter that would prevent mayoral and council inaugurations from being held on a federal holiday.
Councilor Gabriela Coletta, chair of the government operations committee, is recommending that the body vote favorably Wednesday on a home rule petition that would amend the city charter by moving the inauguration date from the first Monday of January to the first weekday after Jan. 2.
If approved, Mayor Michelle Wu would need to sign off on the petition before it could be pitched to state lawmakers on Beacon Hill, who would also have to approve a charter change moving the end of mayoral and council terms in the same way.
“The purpose of this docket is to ensure that City of Boston employees will not be required to work on the federally observed holiday for Jan. 1 New Year’s Day solely to participate in and facilitate city council and mayoral inaugurations (and) the commencement of the municipal year,” Coletta wrote in a committee report.
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The docket for the petition, filed by Council Vice President Brian Worrell, drew laughter when it was read into the record by City Clerk Alex Geourntas at a Jan. 24 City Council meeting.
“Lots of snickering, I wonder why,” Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said at the time, perhaps alluding to the late-night celebrations that occurred on New Year’s Eve followed by the quick turnaround of a 10 a.m. inauguration, where the 13 councilors elected in November were required to take the oath of office.
A brief City Council meeting was also held at noon on New Year’s Day, where a vote was taken to select Louijeune as the body’s new president.
Worrell, in a Monday statement to the Herald, spoke to the strain that quick turnaround placed on the city’s public safety employees.
“This year, our first responders had to staff our inauguration 10 hours after First Night and New Year’s Eve,” Worrell said. “That’s too great a strain to put on our public safety officers. Other years, we wait till Jan. 7 to have an inauguration.
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“I’d rather get to work earlier,” he added. “This solution solves for both problems, updating a centuries-old document with an easy fix that will ensure inauguration is Jan. 3-5, which is more in line with federal standards and should increase civic engagement.”
In January, he said the home rule petition “follows Congress’ rule for the most part, which has its inauguration Jan. 3 so it would never fall on either New Year’s Day or its observed holiday.”
Louijeune also spoke favorably of the measure in January, saying that many council staff members had to work on the holiday this year as well, and were given the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend off to make up for it.
The tradition of swearing in on New Year’s Day is nothing unique to Boston. Media reports indicate that a number of mayors and city councilors were sworn into office in other Massachusetts municipalities this year on Jan. 1.
Under the city charter, the inauguration date, municipal years, and elected terms can fall from Jan. 1-7 as the “first Monday in January.” The petition seeks to change those dates to between Jan. 3-5, as the first weekday after Jan. 2.
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The act, if passed locally and by the state, would take effect starting with the elected terms and the municipal year that begins Jan. 5, 2026.
While 10 councilors signed onto Worrell’s petition after it was introduced in late January, two others didn’t: Ed Flynn, who was absent, and Erin Murphy. Both say they plan to vote ‘no’ if it is brought to a vote on Wednesday.
“As elected officials, I believe we have the obligation to serve the public at all times, even during a holiday,” Flynn said on Monday. “I’m honored to serve as a city councilor, and I will continue to work hard for my constituents day and night.”
Murphy said “winning an election and representing the City Council is an honor,” and that she doesn’t think working on a federal holiday for the inauguration is a “sacrifice.”
In terms of civic engagement, she said, having the ceremony on a federal holiday is “actually more convenient that family and others don’t have to take the day off work to join.”
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Murphy said there isn’t a need, in her opinion, to change the city charter, established in 1822, pointing to the lack of frequency with which the inauguration falls on a federal holiday.
It wouldn’t occur again until 2040, when the first Monday of the month is Jan. 2, the observed date. The inauguration would next fall on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, in 2046.
If the proposed charter change is because an inauguration “falls after people going out on New Year’s Eve,” Murphy said, “then I’m 100% against it.”
City Councilor Brian Worrell (Herald file)
Paul Burton is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV News.
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/ CBS Boston
Fellow firefighters paid somber tribute at the fire house where Robert “Bobby” Kilduff, who many referred to as “BK,” served for decades with the Boston Fire Department. On Sunday, black bunting was hung in honor of Kilduff, who died Saturday night after falling from the third floor while battling a Dorchester fire.
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“He was the heart of this fire house, he is going to be missed sorely. He is irreplaceable,” Lt. Greg Kelly said.
Kilduff’s fellow firefighters were brought to tears as they remembered their friend and brother. They placed his boots on the floor and traced an outline onto the cement following his death.
“Bobby Kilduff is exactly the definition of what you would imagine a true firefighter should be,” Boston firefighter Lector Tavares said.
Robert Kilduff holds pictures of his father and grandfather, both who were firefighters.
Joe Brooks
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All of the residents of the Dorchester home where the fire broke out Saturday night made it out safely. A mayday call was issued when Kilduff fell. He was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
“BK was the quintessential rescue man. Just in the last 48 hours prior to this fire, he was involved in rescuing a girl who was trying to jump off a building,” Lt. Kelly said. “When the mayday came in, I couldn’t imagine it could be BK. He’s usually the one saving people.”
Not only did Kilduff spend decades in the fire service, but he also spent years serving his country in the U.S. Marines.
Kilduff was also part of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, hosting training scenarios for elected officials about the dangers firefighters face.
Kilduff leaves behind two adult children. His girlfriend and her two children. The fire remains under investigation at this time.
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“He prioritized so much the importance of being a dad. He loved his kids so much,” Capt. Kevin Preston said.
A 58-year-old man was killed Saturday evening after his vehicle was struck by an MBTA commuter rail train at a streetcrossing in Braintree, officials said.
The collision occurred just before 5 p.m. at the Grove Street crossing, near the Braintree/Weymouth line, according to Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan.
The man, driving a black Jeep Cherokee on West Street, “intentionally” drove around the crossing guard as the train was approaching, Sullivan said.
The man, whose name was not released, was pronounced deceased as a result of injuries sustained in the collision, Sullivan said.
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“On behalf of the Transit Police and the entire MBTA organization we offer our most sincere condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the crossing safety arm was deployed and all other safety warnings were activated at the time of the crash.
Braintree police said on social media that Grove Street (in Braintree) and West Street (in Weymouth) would be closed to vehicle traffic Saturday evening due to the collision.
Several commuter rail trains were canceled or delayed Saturday evening because of “police activity on the right of way in the Braintree area,” according to online updates from the MBTA. Two Kingston line trains, the 4:15 p.m. inbound and the 5:20 p.m. outbound, were replaced with shuttle bus service, and one inbound Fairmount line train was cancelled.
The incident is under investigation by Transit Police, as well as the Norfolk district attorney’s office, Sullivan said.
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Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.
