Peabody mayor not running for re-election

PEABODY – Like a veteran poker player, Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti knows when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.The 66-year-old city chief executive says he will not seek re-election in November, choosing instead to remain politically active while sparing time to spend with his family.”I’m not a golfer. I don’t cook. My hobby was my job,” Bonfanti said in an interview Tuesday. “I still have a year to serve and that’s my focus – to serve and serve well.”Bonfanti ran uncontested in 2003 following the retirement of longtime mayor Peter Torigian, who served the city for 23 years. He was reelected in 2005, 2007 and 2009 – by a landslide in the final race.”Once I leave office, I’m not ruling anything out. I still have an awful lot to offer even though I might be getting up there in age,” he said. “I’ll be 671/2 at the end of my term. And I still put in 80 hours a week.”Bonfanti felt it was time for a change.”It was just time. Like any job you put your heart into, the time comes when you’re not as effective or you are weary or you need that change to be refreshed,” he said. “The city can be a harsh mistress. And time consuming.”Besides, the mayor is also a grandfather and looking forward to playing with his five grandchildren, ranging in age from 8 months to 8 years.”I want to spend time with my family,” he said, citing wife Dottie, 34-year-old son David Bonfanti and 37-year-old daughter Leah Gagnon.Bonfanti doesn’t regret his time in office.”The best part of the job is that it’s tremendously broad. There are such a variety of things you do, from making multi-million-dollar deals to answering requests for help that might seem so minor, but to that person it means an awful lot,” he said. “You might not be able to save the world, but occasionally you’re able to save somebody or fix something.”Bonfanti said such is the life of a mayor in a small city.”Talk to Judy Flanagan Kennedy or Kimberley Driscoll,” he said, referring to the Lynn and Salem mayors, respectively. “They’ll tell you the same thing. You’re always on duty, always on call. There are weddings and wakes, and all kinds of meetings. Here I help make the coffee and fill paper in the machines. If somebody is looking for a glory job, don’t be a mayor, especially in a small town.”Due to the grueling schedule, Bonfanti has not traveled much in the past 10 years. “I joke that I haven’t been out of Peabody for a while,” he said. “But honestly, these have been some tough times. Since Peter Torigian was mayor, times have changed. They are much more difficult today and more complex.”Bonfanti said Peabody has no shortage of candidates seeking the mayor’s seat. “There are some very qualified people interested,” he said. “One thing you learn quickly on this job is that you are replaceable.”Candidates to replace him are already lining up to replace him.Edward (Ted) Bettencourt Jr. announced Tuesday he is running for mayor.Bettencourt, 37, who is currently serving his fourth term as councilor-at-large on the Peabody City Council, served as Council President in 2005 and chaired both the Finance and Industrial and Community Development committees during his tenure.”Peabody has many things to be proud of but there are problems that must be addressed and improvements which need to be made,” said Bettencourt in a statement, “In many ways, Peabody often seems stuck in a holding pattern of waiting and hoping for the state and federal government to solve our problems. But Peabody is a vibrant, resilient and hard-working community, and it is time for us to step up to the plate and start solving our own problems. I have the experience, energy, commitment and drive to move Peabody forward.”