Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt Faces 2 Challengers In Re-Election Bid

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt is facing two challengers this fall as he seeks a seventh term as the city's highest elected official.

Bettencourt told Patch that he is running for re-election to continue the revitalization projects that he believes are improving the lives of people in the city and will pave the way for a stronger future.

"I absolutely love being mayor of the city and I am blessed to have that position," he said. "I am really excited about the direction that Peabody is going in and really excited about the projects we are working on to make the city a great place to raise a family.

"We are investing in the right way, and doing it in a very financially conservative manner, and I am hoping to be able to continue to do that work here."

Bettencourt, Peabody small business owner Rochelle Agneta and Boston radio veteran Rob Stevens 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.

Bettencourt said one of his priorities, when he was first elected mayor, was to improve the city's infrastructure when it came to deteriorating roads, parks, schools and municipal buildings. His initiatives have included the renovation of the Welch School, a push to renovate or build a new high school, and downtown revitalization projects ranging from improved traffic patterns to the opening of the North Shore Children's Museum on Main Street, as well as the return of more community-based events such as the fireworks show and summer concert series.

He also recently announced the city was awarded nearly $20 million in state and federal grant funding that will revamp the entire Central Street corridor and be "transformational for the whole eastern end of the city."

He said the city has worked to mitigate the persistent flooding problems downtown and bring in new businesses to help reestablish it as a center for economic activity and community interaction.

"The Northshore Mall is great for the city and is our biggest taxpayer but that forced our downtown to change and adapt to that," he said. "I really wanted to have a strong vibrant downtown and we've been able to make strides toward that over the past couple of years.

"I think there are more good things to come."

He said that the city's tax rate is among the lowest in Essex County while many capital projects have gone forward.

"That's important," he said. "We want to keep this city affordable but we also want to invest."

(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.)