Lawrence, Massachusetts

In 1912, the immigrant women who ran Lawrence’s looms walked out and shut down the largest textile city in the world, and they won. That nerve is still the city’s signature. Lawrence packs about 89,000 people onto seven square miles of the Merrimack River, runs on a strong mayor and a nine-member council, and has earned its old name, the “Immigrant City,” many times over. This guide shows you who holds power here, how the schools are run, who speaks for you on Beacon Hill and in Washington, and exactly where you can push.

The Lawrence Civics Handbook

The 2026 Lawrence Civics Handbook lays out how your city actually works in plain language: the mayor and the council, the schools, the people who represent you in Boston and Washington, and the concrete steps for showing up and being heard.

Read the Handbook →

Lawrence at a Glance

89,143Residents (2020)

43,530Registered Voters

1853Incorporated as a City

9City Councilors

Sources: Secretary of the Commonwealth, voter enrollment · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).

County: Essex, in the Merrimack Valley, where the Spicket and Shawsheen rivers meet the Merrimack.
Government: strong mayor and a nine-member council. Mayor Brian A. De Peña has led the city since 2021 and won re-election in 2025.
Schools: Lawrence Public Schools teaches about 12,955 students across 26 schools and has run under state receivership since 2011.

How Lawrence’s Government Works

Lawrence runs on a strong mayor. You and your neighbors elect one mayor and a nine-member City Council. The mayor runs the city every day, hires the departments, and writes the budget. The council turns proposals into law and decides whether to fund them. When they disagree, the fight is public, and you can watch it happen at City Hall.

The Mayor

Elected citywide to a four-year term. Runs city departments, prepares the budget, can veto ordinances, and chairs the School Committee.

City Council

Nine members, three at-large and six by district. Passes ordinances, sets the budget, and can override a mayoral veto.

School Committee

Elected board chaired by the mayor. Because the district is in state receivership, the committee currently advises while preparing for a return to local control.

You elect the mayor and the council in municipal elections held in odd-numbered years. The most recent was November 2025.
The council legislates. It passes ordinances, orders, and the annual budget in public meetings at City Hall.
The mayor administers. The mayor runs every city department and service and can veto what the council passes.
You push back. You vote, show up, speak during public comment, and contact the officials whose names are in this guide.

Explore the Lawrence Edition

Civic Calendar

City elections: Municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years (mayor, City Council, School Committee). The most recent was November 2025.
City Council: Meets regularly at City Hall, 200 Common Street. Agendas and the meeting calendar are posted on the city website.
School Committee: Meets monthly; agendas are posted at lawrence.k12.ma.us.
State & federal elections: Held in even-numbered years, register or check your status at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s site.

Your County Officials

Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Essex County, and that includes Lawrence. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.

District Attorney, Essex District

Paul F. Tucker

In office since 2023
Official site

Sheriff, Essex County

Kevin F. Coppinger

In office since 2017
Official site

Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.

Officials for any Massachusetts town

Your First Civic Action in Lawrence

You do not have to wait until you can vote to be heard. Here is a concrete path from “I care about this” to “I said it on the record to the people who decide,” using rooms and phone numbers that are already open to you.

Pick the right body. A park, a road, a pothole, taxes, or a line in the city budget is City Council territory. Your school, a class, a program, or the school calendar belongs to the School Committee, the elected board now rebuilding its role as Lawrence works back toward local control of its schools.
Find the meeting. The City Council meets at City Hall, 200 Common Street, and the schedule and agendas post in advance on the city’s City Council page at cityoflawrence.com. The School Committee meets monthly, with agendas at lawrence.k12.ma.us.
Know your councillors. Lawrence has six district councillors, one each for Districts A through F, with the one for your own neighborhood as your most direct line, plus three at-large councillors who answer to the whole city. The City Council office, which handles the agenda, is your way in at (978) 620-3210.
Speak. Both the Council and the School Committee set aside time for residents during the public participation portion of their meetings. You give your name, say where you live, and name the one thing you want them to do, on the record.

City Hall (main line): (978) 620-3000
City Council office and agendas: (978) 620-3210
Lawrence Public Schools: (978) 975-5900, lawrence.k12.ma.us

Nothing in this city moves without people who show up. Find the people who represent you, sit in on a meeting, and say what you came to say.

Find Your Representatives

Take Action in Your City

Sources

This guide draws on public sources, refreshed July 2026: U.S. Census Bureau, Massachusetts DESE School and District Profiles, Massachusetts Legislature (malegislature.gov), and the official Lawrence government website.