THE CITY CHARTER. powers. § 1. SECTION 1. The inhabitants of the city of Corporate Boston, for all the purposes for which towns and 1821, 110, c. cities are by law incorporated in this commonwealth, shall continue to be one body politic, in fact and in name, under the style and denomination of the city of Boston; and, as such, shall have, exercise, and enjoy all the rights, immunities, powers and privileges, and shall be subject to all the duties and obligations now incumbent upon and appertaining to said city, as a municipal corporation. ernment. Ibid. SECT. 2. The administration of all the fiscal, city Gov prudential, and municipal concerns of said city, ma with the conduct and government thereof, shall be vested in one principal officer, to be styled the mayor, one council of twelve persons, to be called the board of aldermen, and one council of fortyeight1 persons, to be called the common council, which boards, in their joint capacity, shall be denominated the city council, and also in such other boards of officers as are hereinafter specified. [SECT. 3. It shall be the duty of the city Division 1By the annexation of Roxbury, this number was increased to sixty, and by the annexation of Dorchester to sixty-four. Sts. 1867, c. 359, § 7; 1869, c. 349, § 7. into twelve wards. § 2. § 1. council, and they are empowered during the year 1821, c. 110, 1860, and whenever thereafterwards they may 1850, c. 167, deem it expedient, not oftener than once in ten years, to cause a new division of the city to be made into twelve wards, in such manner as to include an equal number of voters in each ward, as nearly as conveniently may be, consistently with well-defined limits to each ward; and, until such division be made, the boundary lines of the wards shall remain as now established.'] Amended 1865, c. 7. Annual the election cers. 1854, c. 39. SECT. 4. The annual meeting of citizens, for meeting for the election of municipal officers hereinafter menof city offi- tioned, shall be held on the second Monday of 1851, c. 187. December, and the citizens of said city qualified 1824, c. 49. to vote in city affairs shall for the purpose of such election then meet together within the wards in which they respectively reside, at such hour and place as the board of aldermen may by their warrant direct and appoint; and the person receiving the highest number of votes for any office shall be deemed and declared to be elected to such office; and, whenever two or more persons are to be elected to the same office, the several persons, to the number required to be chosen, having the highest number of votes, shall be declared elected. Certificates of election SECT. 5. Every person so chosen in any ward to be fur- shall, within forty-eight hours of his election, be furnished by the clerk with a certificate thereof, nished. 1867, c. 240. 1 By the annexation of Roxbury, the number of wards was increased to fifteen. And by the annexation of Dorchester the number was again increased to sixteen. Sts. 1867, c. 359, § 7; 1869, c. 349, § 5. signed by the warden, clerk, and a majority of 1867, c. 240. the inspectors, which certificate shall be presumptive evidence of the title of such person to the office therein mentioned. ment of mu 1824, c. 49, ward offi SECT. 6. The municipal officers to be chosen Commenceat the annual election shall enter upon the duties nicipal year. of their respective offices on the first Monday of $2. January. SECT. 7. The qualified voters of said city shall, Election of at the annual meeting, choose by ballot one war- cers. den and one clerk and five inspectors of elections for each ward, who shall be resident in said ward, and who shall hold their offices for one year and until others shall be chosen and qualified in their stead. cers to be 1821, c. 110, SECT. 8. The ward officers mentioned in the Ward offipreceding section shall respectively make oath sworn. faithfully and impartially to discharge their sev- §3. eral duties, which oath may be administered by the clerk of such ward to the warden, and by the latter to the clerk and inspectors, or to all of said officers by any justice of the peace for the county of Suffolk; and a certificate thereof shall be entered in the record, to be kept by the clerk of the ward. tion of ward SECT. 9. In case of the non-election of any Non-elecward officer at the annual meeting, adjournments officers. may be had for the purpose of effecting such election, in the same manner as is hereinafter provided with regard to the election of members of the common council. SECT. 10. In case of the absence of any ward Absence of cers. 1821, c. 110, chosen ward off- officer at any ward meeting, such officer may be pro tempore, by hand vote, and shall have all the powers, and be subject to all the duties of the regular officer at such meeting. § 3. 1845, c. 217, § 3. Power and duty of war den. Duties of ward clerk. § 3. SECT. 11. It shall be the duty of the warden to preside at all ward meetings, with the powers of moderators of town meetings. In case of his absence, the clerk, and, in case of the absence of the clerk, any inspector, shall preside, according to seniority, until a warden shall be chosen, as provided in the preceding section. SECT. 12. It shall be the duty of the clerk to 1821, c. 110, make a fair and true record, and to keep an exact journal of all the acts and votes of citizens at the ward meetings, and to deliver over such records. and journals, together with other documents and papers held by him in his said capacity, to his successor in office. Duties of warden and SECT. 13. It shall be the duty of the warden inspectors. and inspectors of each ward to receive, sort, and count, and of the warden to declare, all votes at any election within such ward. 1821, c. 110, § 3. Duties of ward offi elections. 1845, c. 217, $ 3. SECT. 14. It shall be the duty of all ward officers at all cers, authorized to preside and act at elections of city officers, to attend and perform their respective duties at the times and places appointed for elections of any officers, whether of the United States, state, city, or wards, and to make and sign the regular returns of the same. Election of mayor. SECT. 15. The qualified voters of said city 1821, c. 110, shall, at the annual meeting, be called upon to give in their votes for one able and discreet person, $ 5, c. 7, § 14. being an inhabitant of the city, to be mayor of See G. 8. said city for the term of one year. All the ballots so given in, in each ward, being sorted, counted, and declared, shall be recorded at large by the clerk in open ward meeting; and, in making such declaration and record, the whole number of votes or ballots given in shall be distinctly stated, together with the name of every person voted for, and the number of votes given for each person respectively, such numbers to be expressed in words at length; and a transcript of such record, certified and authenticated by the warden, clerk, and a majority of the inspectors of elections for each ward, shall forthwith be transmitted or delivered by such ward clerk to the clerk of the city. It shall be the duty of the city clerk forthwith to enter such returns, or a plain intelligible abstract of them, as they are successively received, upon the journal of the proceedings of the board of aldermen, or some other book to be kept for that purpose. aldermen to examine re votes for 1821, c. 110, 1830,c.7, § 2. SECT. 16. The board of aldermen shall, as Board of soon as conveniently may be, within three days of such election, meet together and examine all the turns of said returns, and they shall cause the person who mayor. may have been elected mayor to be notified in $5. writing of his election; but, if it shall appear by said returns that no person has been elected, or if the person elected shall refuse to accept the office, the board shall issue their warrants for a new election, and the same proceedings shall be had as are provided in the preceding section for the |