Julie Daigle Eager To Get To Work On Peabody City Council

PEABODY, MA – Julie Daigle wasn't wasting any time working to get to know her new constituents as a Peabody City Councilor-Elect in Ward 4.

Late Thursday afternoon, less than 48 hours after winning her seat, the first-time councilor said she was already meeting with a resident about a sidewalk issue and planning upcoming office hours.

"I don't want to step on any toes," Daigle told Patch. "But I want to go. I want to get running."

Daigle said the often-slower pace of city action was one of the reasons the Mills 58 general manager decided in May to challenge for the City Council seat.

"It wasn't until I got involved in the private sector, and saw what was happening, that I thought it was time for a change," she said. "I feel like working for both sides (government and business) I can be a liaison with the community with my experience."

Daigle said small businesses in the city have been through some real struggles over the 20 months of the coronavirus crisis and she hopes to support them on the City Council by making Peabody a welcoming environment and alleviating any unnecessary restrictions.

“I am pro-business," Daigle said. "People spend a lot of time and money to come in here to try to improve the city. Let a business try. If there is a problem, have a hearing. But there are so many restrictions on people who are trying to invest in the city.

"It's a struggle now. To hinder people now, that's an added burden a lot of people don't understand. I don't think that's right."

Daigle joins Ward 3 City Councilor-elect Stephanie Peach as relatively younger voices coming to the Council after Tuesday night's vote.

"If you had asked me five years ago I would be running for City Council I don’t think I would have said that was something I was ever going to do," the 39-year-old Peabody Veterans Memorial High School alumna said. "But I want to make sure things are as good as they were when I was a kid.

"I think I have a lot to bring to the table."

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(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.)

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Julie K. Daigle: Peabody City Council Candidate Profile