Meet Peabody Mayoral Candidate Rob Stevens

PEABODY, MA — Longtime radio personality and producer Rob Stevens is one of two candidates challenging Peabody May0r Ted Bettencourt as he seeks a seventh term in office this fall.

Stevens, who is also involved in the push to unionize baristas at the Beverly Starbucks location where he works part-time, said he is running for his first elected office to bring more accountability to City Hall and make the residents of the city feel like they have more of a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

"I believe you have to crowdfund ideas," he told Patch. "That's what it's going to take. The government should be something that is not gate-kept. My experience in the last few years trying to reach out to politicians is that it's felt gate-kept. That's the opposite of what I want it to be. I want people to feel like they have a hand in what's going forward."

Stevens, Bettencourt and Peabody small business owner Rochelle Agneta will be on the ballot for the preliminary election set for Sept. 12. The top two vote-getters will then face off in the general election on Nov. 8.

Stevens, who previously produced and was a co-host of the WAAF-FM morning radio show as well as shows in San Diego, told Patch that he has experienced first-hand the struggles of city residents trying to make ends meet as taxes and utility costs continue to rise and was spurred to launch his campaign after hearing the stories of so many other local residents in that situation.

He said he is also running to provide residents a choice for mayor after Bettencourt has run unopposed in the past.

"What has been happening has been extremely tough for not only my family but for everybody," he said. "The more I talked and just shared my story the more people would talk to me about these trying times.

"It was a tough decision to make to run. But once I made the decision and I started digging into more town things it was upsetting that there was almost never any other option. I know a lot of homeowners and a lot of renters who are not being paid a livable wage so that they can live in Peabody while these corporations are getting a tax break. This is the fire that drives me every day."

Stevens said that while he has "zero political experience" his extensive radio experience makes him familiar with using community and local engagement to help gain "the pulse of what's going on."

"That experience 100 percent lends itself to this," he said. "I felt so much crossover."

He said his immediate plans if elected will be to improve the communication between the city and its residents to solicit more feedback and make residents feel more involved. He is also a proponent of a green public transit line that allows residents without vehicles to get around the city conveniently and inexpensively, making community activities like youth sports financially accessible to all and creating a "city fund" for residents on fixed incomes when the cost of living increases.

"We have the programs and there aren't enough kids to fill them because parents don't want to admit they can't afford them.," he said. "Government should be a system of providing services and be here to serve the people. I just want to help the people.

"What else is the point of the government? Once you start digging into the numbers you know that something needs to happen."

He added that there needs to be urgency to that change.

"Whatever you are doing today is kind of the blueprint of where you want to be," he said. "You can't wait to start tomorrow. You have to do something today."

More on Stevens' campaign can be found on his website here.

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