New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has been elected president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association for 2020, the organization announced. He was chosen by his peers from across the state during the group's annual business meeting in Boston on Jan. 25.

“Across the country, mayors are getting the job done when it comes to the important work of governing, and Massachusetts is no exception,” said Mitchell in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to advocate alongside our state’s mayors on the issues that matter to improving the quality of life in cities in Massachusetts, from infrastructure to public education.”

Mitchell took office in 2012 and this year began his fifth term and the first four-year term in the history of New Bedford.

In a press release, the MMA praised Mitchell.

"Under his leadership, New Bedford’s unemployment rate is now less than half of what it was when he took office, the city’s school district has been released from state monitoring and its test results and graduation rate have shown significant progress, the city’s bond rating is the highest in its modern history, and New Bedford has become a far safer city with a considerable decrease in violent crime," the release said.

Mitchell was vice president of the MMA last year and now chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors Committee on Energy. A New Bedford native, he is a graduate of Harvard College and George Washington University Law School. Previously, Mitchell was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston, prosecuting white collar crime, firearms, narcotics, environmental crime, and public corruption cases. He also served six years in the Army National Guard.

Mitchell will continue to serve on the Massachusetts Municipal Association board of directors, which he joined two years ago. The mayors’ association is a member group of the municipal association, the statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization for all cities and towns.

"Mayor Mitchell is recognized and admired by his fellow mayors and local officials as a thoughtful, innovative and energetic leader in his community and across the Commonwealth," said MMA Executive Director Geoffrey C. Beckwith.

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