Marlborough committee approves charter rewrite on council vacancies

MARLBOROUGH — December 11, 2025 — Marlborough's Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee voted 3-0 to recommend rewriting the city charter's rules for filling council vacancies. The draft from Council President Michael Ossing, circulated in a Nov. 13 email, would require a special election if a ward seat becomes vacant before the final 12 months of a term, and a majority appointment by remaining councilors if the vacancy falls inside that window — replacing the current 18-month/6-month split. The committee chair said the goal was to avoid repeating the most recent vacancy, which sat unfilled "for over a year" while the council sought a one-time home rule petition. Councilor Doucette argued any appointee should be barred from seeking the next term, citing the October 2015 death of Bob Page and the January death of Don Landers, but Councilor Roby and Councilor Pociello said prior legal advice ruled that out as "a slippery slope legally." The measure now goes to the city solicitor for home rule petition drafting.