City Edition
Middlesex County
Waltham, Massachusetts
The factory on the Charles River that gave Waltham its nickname, the Watch City, once turned out pocket watches by the millions and helped set the time the country ran on. That mill is now a museum, the riverfront feeds Moody Street’s crowded sidewalks, and two universities, Brandeis and Bentley, sit on the hills above town. About 65,000 people live here, and the city still makes real decisions every week about your school, your bus, and your block. This guide shows you how Waltham works now: the mayor who runs it, the fifteen councillors who write its laws, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the numbers behind it all.
The Waltham 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.
Waltham at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Middlesex. Waltham sits on the Charles River about nine miles west of Boston, bordered by Newton, Watertown, Belmont, Lexington, Lincoln, and Weston.
- Government: strong-mayor charter with a 15-member City Council. Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy has led the city since January 2004, the longest-serving mayor in Waltham history.
- Schools: Waltham Public Schools, about 5,729 students across 11 schools, led by Superintendent Dr. Marisa Mendonsa.
How Waltham’s Government Works
Waltham runs on a strong-mayor charter. Voters elect a Mayor to run the city, a 15-member City Council to make its laws, and a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Mayor holds real executive power: writing the budget, appointing and removing department heads, and chairing the School Committee. When a city service works or fails, the responsibility lands on one elected desk.
The Mayor
The elected chief executive. Runs every department, appoints and can remove the heads of police, fire, public works, and health, writes the budget, and chairs the School Committee.
City Council
The 15-member legislative body. Nine councillors are elected by ward and six at large. The Council passes ordinances, sets the tax rate, and adopts the budget the Mayor proposes.
School Committee
Six members elected at large, plus the Mayor as ex-officio chair. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and oversees the Superintendent who runs the district.
- Residents elect the Mayor, the 15 councillors, and the six at-large School Committee members.
- The Mayor runs the city day to day and writes the budget.
- The Council votes the budget and the ordinances up or down, and can override a veto.
- You take part: public comment, board service, and a call to your ward councillor all shape what happens next.
Explore the Waltham Edition
- Mayor’s OfficeThe city’s chief executive
- City CouncilYour fifteen councillors
- School CommitteeSuperintendent & committee
- City DepartmentsWho does what at City Hall
- Boards & CommissionsWhere residents serve
- LegislatorsYour voice in Boston & D.C.
- Waltham HistoryFrom the watch factory to the Charles
- DemographicsWho lives in Waltham
- Non-ProfitsCommunity organizations
- Student DataWaltham Public Schools by the numbers
Civic Calendar
- City Council: meets the second and fourth Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber, second floor of City Hall, 610 Main Street. The Council does not meet in July or August.
- School Committee: meets in public session, chaired by the Mayor, with agendas posted in advance on the district website.
- Municipal elections: odd-numbered years. The full Council and the at-large School Committee seats were last chosen in November 2025. There was no mayoral race that year: Mayor McCarthy was re-elected in 2023 to a term that runs through 2027.
- 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 Waltham. 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 Waltham
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.
- Find the meeting. The City Council meets the second and fourth Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall, 610 Main Street, and does not meet in July or August. The School Committee meets in public session, chaired by the Mayor, with agendas posted in advance on the district website. Council agendas come from the City Clerk’s office and post ahead of time at city.waltham.ma.us.
- Know your councillors. Waltham has nine ward councillors, one tied to your own neighborhood, plus six at-large councillors who answer to the whole city. City Clerk Joseph Vizard, who staffs the Council and its agenda, is your way in at 781-314-3120.
- Speak. Both the Council and the School Committee open their meetings to public comment. You sign up, you get your minutes, and you say your piece on the record.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole or a sidewalk problem any time through SeeClickFix at seeclickfix.com/waltham, or call City Hall at 781-314-3100.
- City Hall (main line): 781-314-3100
- City Clerk and Council agendas: 781-314-3120
- Waltham Public Schools: 781-314-5440, walthampublicschools.org
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your ward councillor, speak at a Monday 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 Waltham government website.