Except as otherwise provided by this Charter or by ordinance of Council, municipal elections shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of general law.
Councilmen shall be elected for a four (4) year term and shall serve until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified. They shall be nominated by petition signed by not less than fifty (50) registered electors of the City for at large Councilpersons or not less than twenty-five (25) registered electors residing in the ward being sought for ward Councilperson. Their names shall appear on a nonpartisan ballot without party designation. The nomination of each candidate shall be made by a separate petition, but such petition may be circulated in separate parts, which shall be filed with the Board of Elections as one (1) instrument, not later than ninety (90) days prior to the date of holding the regular municipal election. In November 2013, and quadrennially thereafter, the at-large councilpersons shall be elected so as to provide that the term of one councilperson at large will commence on the first day of January, 2014 and quadrennially thereafter; the term of one councilperson at large shall commence on the second day of January, 2014, and quadrennially thereafter; and the term of one councilperson at large shall commence on the third day of January, 2014, and quadrennially thereafter.
In November of 1963, if the population of the City has not reached 25,000, five (5) Councilmen shall be elected. If all are to be elected at large, four (4) shall be elected for four (4) year terms and one (1) for a two (2) year term. If Councilmen are to be elected from wards, four (4) shall be elected from wards for terms of four (4) years and one (1) at large for a term of two (2) years. Thereafter, all terms shall be for four (4) years.
If additional Councilmen are required by the provisions of this Charter at anytime, the Council shall forthwith make provisions to have the number elected at any one time as nearly equal as possible.
(Amended November 2, 2010; November 5, 2013)