Tell us: Should Boston workers have to live in the city?
We want to know what you think of Boston's residency requirements.
After a months-long search, Boston will have a new head of police, and this time the mayor’s office will ensure he not only works in Boston but lives here too.
Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration announced Wednesday that Michael Cox, a 30-year veteran of the Boston Police Department and most recently chief of the Ann Arbor, Michigan police, will be the city’s next police commissioner.
Prior to Cox’s appointment, local advocates pushed for any candidate to be required to live within city limits. In response, Wu said her administration would enforce the existing rule that the city’s police commissioner, like all municipal employees, must live in the city.
In 2016, former mayor Marty Walsh signed an ordinance to enforce the city’s residency requirements, which have been in place since 1976. However, even with the ordinance in place and another that says city employees must show proof of residency at least once a year, some city employees evade the requirement.
Former Police Commissioner William Gross sparked controversy in 2018 when he told the Patriot Ledger he was a Milton resident after being on the job for more than a month. It was another year before he changed his voter registration to Boston.
Now that a new commissioner will enter the office, the spotlight is once again on the city’s residency requirement. Those who want it enforced say it makes city officials and workers more in touch with the people they serve, but others consider it an unnecessary burden to place on government employees.
Do you think department heads should have to live in Boston? How about other city employees? Let us know your thoughts by filling out the survey below or emailing us at [email protected] and we may feature your response in a future article or on Boston.com social media.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address