Craig Welton Elected Peabody City Council President For 2023

PEABODY, MA — Ward 1 City Councilor Craig Welton, a Biddeford, Maine native who has made services for those with disabilities one of her priorities during his professional career and in his three years on the Peabody City Council, will preside over the Council as its president for 2023.

Welton, who has lived in Peabody with his family for the past 12 years and has become active in local youth sports as a father of five, was first elected to the City Council in 2019.

"He has proven to be a responsive and effective Councilor," said Peabody City Councilor Tom Gould, who nominated Welton. "Craig Welton not only works hard for the residents of Ward 1 but also for the citizens of Peabody as a whole."

Welton is Northeast Arc's Chief Development Officer and was chosen as one of Boston's "40 Under 40" by the Boston Business Journal in 2020. He previously spent 10 years working with the Best Buddies program.

Welton received unanimous support in the vote that was taken before Mayor Ted Bettencourt's Mid-Term Inaugural speech on Monday night.

He said his priorities as head of the Council will be the finish the review of the city charter, continue to attract businesses that both "fit well within our city and alongside our neighborhoods" and lead the Council in "spirited debate while maintaining respect and civility."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)