FRAMINGHAM – Councilor-at-Large George P. King Jr. was elected chair of the Framingham City Council today for the upcoming session. Councilor-at-Large Janet Leombruno is the vice chair.
The election followed a somewhat confusing (at least to me) series of nominations.
In the first round, Councilors John Stefanini, previous chair Philip R. Ottaviani, King, and Leora Mallach were nominated. King said he declined to be nominated, while Stefanini said he thought Ottaviani wasn’t running again for chair.
Mallach made a case for elevating someone new to City Council leadership. “We talk a lot on the Council about raising up new voices in our community to engage and to serve,” she said. “We heard it in the inauguration and it’s time to practice what we preach and vote in new leadership.”
Next, Stefanini said withdrew his name “at this time,” but that he would be open to being nominated if Ottaviani decided after all that he didn’t want to be chair for another term.
“And my best candid advice to my friend Philip, who I met with privately and shared with him, is that there is a time and a place for all of us, especially leaders, to recognize when the tank isn’t as full,” Stefanini said. “You’ve served this place well as chair emeritus for four years. Let somebody else do it. Let the energy and focus be there. Rather than making the next two years be like the last two years with the angry community, let some new energy into the conversation. That’s my humble, candid best advice.”
After some more discussions, nominations were reopened again by a 6-5 vote. This time when King was nominated he accepted, along with Ottaviani, Mallach, and Stefanini.
Ottaviani said he’d had a speech ready saying he was withdrawing his name from consideration and “then all the dynamics changed.” However, he ended up withdrawing anyway during this second round.
According to a state ethics rulings, councilors can’t vote for themselves for chair because of the additional $2,500 stipend – they can either abstain or vote for another candidate.
The initial vote was 5 for King, 2 for Mallach (including both District 2 Councilor Brandon Ward and Stefanini), and two for Stefanini (Mary Kate Feeney and Tracey Bryant).
As the Council has done in some other years, it then decided to take a unity vote and voted for King as chair by acclimation.
Leombruno was chosen vice chair by 5-4-2, with four votes for Councilor Christine Long and two for Mallach. That was then also re-voted to be by acclimation.
The new Council’s first full meeting will be Tuesday.
In neighborhood news, District 2 City Councilor Ward and new District 2 School Committee member Lorena Tovar were inaugurated for their 2026-2027 terms this morning shortly before today’s Council meeting. Congratulations!
Also inaugurated today: Mayor Sisitsky, all District City Councilors and School Committee members, and Library and Cemetery trustees.
I’ve updated my city-wide precinct & district map with all of this year’s district representation changes.
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