Peabody City Councilor Anne Manning-Martin Launches Governor's Council Bid

PEABODY, MA — Anne Manning-Martin, who has served on the Peabody City Council for the past 16 years, has launched a bid to represent Peabody and 35 other cities and towns as the 5th District representative on the Governor's Council.

Manning-Martin is running to replace outgoing Councilor Eileen Duff.

She said she is looking to bring balance to a Governor's Council that is currently comprised of all councilors from one political party.

"Lady Justice is not blind when a single party controls both the selection of judges and their nomination by the Corner Office," she said in a campaign statement. "Judicial offices should not be subject to lifetime patronage appointments for those with friends in high places. Citizens of the 5th District deserve a Councilor who will fight for their fair day in court in front of judges who were vetted on their ability to conduct unbiased arbitration."

Manning-Martin was on the Peabody School Committee from 2000 to 2007 and has served on the Peabody City Council since 2008. She currently serves as a Councilor-at-Large.

She said that during her time on the Council, she has evaluated and approved or denied the hiring of public officials "without fear or favor for city positions ranging from school superintendent to city clerk."

She said she intends to bring the same impartiality to the Governor's Council.

"For 25 years, I have put the city of Peabody first," she said. "My career, both in elected office and more than three decades in the criminal justice system, uniquely qualifies me to evaluate the far-reaching effects the Commonwealth’s judges have on our residents.

"If elected, I promise to represent our 36 communities with fairness, integrity, and a truly unbiased rule of law. Massachusetts should have faith in a system that is supposed to treat everyone equally, no matter who you are or who you know."

(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.)