City Edition
Middlesex County
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford built the clipper ships that made nineteenth century America rich, and it built them on the backs of the enslaved. The Royall House and Slave Quarters on George Street is the only standing slave quarters left in the northern United States, and the shipyards that lined the Mystic River once launched the fastest vessels in the world. Today the same small city holds Tufts University, a downtown square, and roughly 59,000 people. This guide shows you how Medford works now: the mayor who runs it, the council and school committee that shape your block and your classroom, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data behind it all.
The Medford Civics Handbook
A plain-language guide to how your city works: who represents you, how decisions get made, and how to make your voice heard. Read it online.
Medford at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Middlesex. Medford sits on the Mystic River just north of Boston, a streetcar suburb wrapped around a colonial core.
- Government: strong-mayor charter. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has led the city since 2020.
- Schools: Medford Public Schools, about 4,100 students across eight schools, led by Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi.
How Medford’s Government Works
Medford runs on a strong-mayor charter. Voters elect a Mayor to run the city, a seven-member City Council to make its laws, and a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Mayor holds real executive power: appointing department heads, proposing the budget, and chairing the School Committee. In November 2025 voters approved a new charter that will expand the Council from seven seats to eleven, beginning with the 2027 election.
The Mayor
The elected chief executive. Runs every department, appoints department heads, proposes the budget, and chairs the School Committee.
City Council
The seven-member legislative body, all elected at large by the whole city. The Council passes ordinances, sets the tax rate, and adopts the budget.
School Committee
Six members elected by voters, chaired by the Mayor. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.
- Residents elect the Mayor, the seven councillors, and the School Committee.
- The Mayor runs the city day to day and proposes the budget.
- The Council votes the budget and the ordinances up or down.
- You take part: public comment, board service, and a note to any of your seven at-large councillors all shape what happens next.
Explore the Medford Edition
- Mayor’s OfficeThe city’s chief executive
- City CouncilYour seven councillors
- School CommitteeSuperintendent & committee
- City DepartmentsWho does what at City Hall
- Boards & CommissionsWhere residents serve
- LegislatorsYour voice in Boston & D.C.
- Medford HistoryShipyards, slavery, and the Mystic
- DemographicsWho lives in Medford
- Non-ProfitsCommunity organizations
- Student DataMedford Public Schools by the numbers
Civic Calendar
- City Council: meets on alternating Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Howard Alden Memorial Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 85 George P. Hassett Drive.
- School Committee: meets at the Medford Public Schools administration building, with agendas posted on the district website.
- Municipal elections: odd-numbered years. The most recent was in November 2025.
- State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 primary and general are this fall.
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 Middlesex County, and that includes Medford. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.
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.
Your First Civic Action in Medford
You do not need to be old enough to vote to change something in Medford. Here is how to go from a problem on your street to a voice in the room where it gets fixed.
- Pick the right body. A pothole, a bus stop, or a zoning fight goes to the City Council. A question about your school goes to the School Committee.
- Find the meeting. The City Council meets on alternating Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Howard Alden Memorial Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
- Know your councillors. All seven are elected at large, so every one of them answers to you. Their names and emails are on the City Council page.
- Speak. Most meetings make time for public participation. Check the posted agenda for how to sign up, in person or on Zoom.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a dead streetlight, or a missed pickup any time through the city’s SeeClickFix tool.
- City Hall: 85 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA 02155. The Mayor’s Office is at 781-393-2408.
- Clerk & agendas: the City Clerk and City Council office is at 781-393-2425. Agendas post to the city’s CivicClerk portal.
- Public schools: Medford Public Schools, 781-393-2237, mps02155.org.
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your councillors, speak at a Tuesday meeting, or apply to serve on a board.
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 Medford government website.