Election 2017: Peabody Voter's Guide

PEABODY, MA -- There are several contested races in Peabody's muncipal election this year. Polls open at 7 am and close at 8 pm on Tuesday, November 7. The following is listing of the candidates in each of the contested races for City Council and School Committee. For more information, seethe City Clerk's Website.

Mayor

Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt is running unopposed for a fourth term. Since first being elected in 2011, Bettencourt, 44, has focused on education, public safety, and downtown redevelopment. In his most recent term, his administration oversaw the construction of the Higgins Middle School, which was the biggest construction project in the city's history.

"Our investments in education, public safety and quality of life are continuing to pay dividends and we’ve done it without compromising the affordability that has long been Peabody’s calling card," Bettencourt said earlier this year in his state of the city address.

Councilors-At-Large

Michael Garabedian and Tom Walsh are not seeking reelection. Ryan Melville, Stephen Collins, Peter Bakula, Tom Rossignol, and Russell Donovan are joining incumbents Anne Manning-Martin, Tom Gould, and David Gravel on the ballot, meaning eight candidates are running for five seats.

• Bakula is a department manager for Wal-Mart. He is also a member of the Peabody Downtown Association, where he helped create and coordinate new events.
• Collins, a Syracuse University graduate, works as a claims resolution specialist at Liberty Mutual in Danvers. "Peabody has done a lot for me and I believe it is time I give back," he told Peabody Patch when he announced his run.
• Donovan worked for GE for 40 years before retiring. He wants to eliminate unnecessary city positions to help keep Peabody's tax burden low.
• Gould owns Treadwells Ice Cream and is seeking a fourth term. He was the council representative on Higgins School Building Committee and has been a proponent of downtown redevelopment efforts.
• Gravel is president and CEO of GraVoc Associates, Inc. He has served on council for ten years and has been an advocate for keeping taxes low.
• Manning-Martin is a Deputy Superintendent with the Department of Correction who has served as both a member of the School Committee and a Councilor at Large. Increased traffic and taxes are the primary concerns of her constituents, she said.
• Meliville is the Supervisor of Licensing for the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. He graduated from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in 2004 and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2008.
• Rossingnol is a physical therapist for Partners home care. He has been on the school committee for the past eight years.

Ward 4

Bukia Chalvire is challenging incumbent Ed Charest.

Charest is a pastry chef with Sodexo Food Service at Endicott College and is running for a second term. In his first term, he opposed as what he saw as overdelopment in city neighborhoods, including Brooksby Farm and Arnold Way. Chalvire is Executive Assistant at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. She emigrated from Haiti in 1996 and is a mother of three.

Ward 5

James Jeffrey is challenging incumbent Joel Saslaw, who is seeking a third term.

Jeffrey has lived in Ward 5 since 1984. Saslaw is a sales account executive for Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. He has been a supporter of recent developments on the Route One corridor, including the makeover of the Bonkers Pizza plaza.

Ward 6

Mark O’Neill is facing Michael Geomelos to fill the seat held by Barry Sinewitz, who is not seeking reelection

Geomelos is part-owner of Travel Leather, a 60-year-old, family-owned business that is the last tannery in Peabody. He sees lower taxes and addressing traffic issues as the two biggest issues facing the city.

O'Neill is an Assistant Vice-President with Lexington Insurance. He has lived in Ward 6 for 45 years and says its two biggest issues are Aggregate Industries and the Birchwood residential development.

Uncontested City Council Races

Ward 1 Councilor Jon Turco, Ward 2 Councilor Peter McGinn, and Ward 3 Councilor James Moutsoulas are running unopposed.

School Committee

There are five candidates running for three school committee seats: Incumbents Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne and Jarrod Hochman are on the ballot, as are Andrew Arnotis, Linda Quadros-Lopez, and Laurence Aiello.

• Aiello spent a total of 25 years as a school principal in Salem, N.H., Cambridge, Salem, Mass. and Manchester-By-The-Sea. Since 1995 he has been a trial attorney.
• Arnotis graduated from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in 2012 and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2016. He is the legislative aide to State Rep. Tom Walsh.
• Dunne is a lawyer who served as co-chair of the Higgins school building committee. She believes selecting a new superintendent is the biggest issue currently facing the school system.
• Hochman has been on the school committee for eight years and opposes federal government initiatives to strip control of schools from localities.
• Quadros-Lopez is a stay-at-home mom who drives part time for Lyft. She wants to address the district's technology needs and to raise district test scores.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).