Many questions surround departure of Peabody DPW head

PEABODY – Dick Carnevale, Peabody’s director of public works for nearly 15 years, is no longer employed by the city and Mayor Michael Bonfanti insists Carnevale resigned for personal and military reasons.”He decided he was going to resign for personal and military service reasons,” Bonfanti said. “He’s a Colonel now and would like to become a General.”Bonfanti also said that Carnevale’s department car and keys have all been taken away to limit access, as they would have for any other employee who resigns.Rumors have been running rampant through the city the last few days in regard to the employment status of Carnevale, who just two months ago, announced his temporary departure from the city to fulfill his military duties with the Army Reserves in Mississippi. After remaining in Peabody long after he was supposed to leave, people began to speculate what had happened.Things really began to heat up when Carnevale was believed to not show up for work recently. Voicemails and e-mails were sent to Item staff carrying with them claims he had been fired for a variety of reasons, including scrap metal theft.”All the other rumors, we’ve heard them,” said Bonfanti. “And we’ll look into them?If something’s there, we’ll take care of it.”Bob Langley, the city’s engineer, will serve as the acting director until the position is permanently filled.In the meantime, Bonfanti encourages people to talk to the Police Department if they believe they have any legitimate proof.”Instead of imputing someone’s character?please come down,” he said.” That’s why we like complaints. If you don’t know the drain’s broken, how do you fix it?”