Mark O'Neill Will Not Seek Re-Election To Peabody City Council

PEABODY, MA — There will be an open seat on the Peabody City Council in Ward 6 for this fall's election after Councilor Mark O'Neill said he will not seek re-election to the seat he has held since 2017.

O'Neill, who served as City Council president in 2021, said additional work responsibilities at his full-time were making it increasingly difficult to devote the time needed to his Council duties.

"I owe it to the Ward 6 residents to take a step back and make this my final term on the Council," O'Neill said at Thursday night's City Council meeting. "Representing Ward 6 for the past six years has been an honor and a privilege. I wanted to serve my neighborhood and this city, and was lucky enough to do exactly that."

Nomination papers are now available for the fall municipal election and are due back to the Board of Registrars with requisite signatures no later than 5 p.m. on July 25. The ballot will be drawn on Aug. 10.

The preliminary election is set for Sept. 12 with the city biennial election set for Nov. 7.

(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.)