Name: Anne Manning-Martin
Occupation: Deputy Superintendent, Massachusetts Department of Correction.
Education: B.A., St. Anselm College, M.A., University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
How long have you served?
Incumbent serving in 6th term (12 years) Prior office 2 terms (8 years) School Committee.
What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it?
The most important issue facing the city today is spending. Peabody does not have a revenue problem, Peabody has a spending problem. Property taxes have increased every year for the last 17 years. This must stop. To continue this type of spending, seniors will be taxed out of their homes, rents will continue to rise, and Peabody will not be affordable to many residents. In my unwavering stance to keep Peabody affordable, I constantly monitor city expenses. I have made budget cut recommendations and will continue to hold the line on taxes.
What three issues are most important to you?
Keeping Peabody affordable, maintaining quality of life for my constituents, and keeping citizens informed are the things most important to me in my service to the city. Many residents feel their needs and concerns regarding their quality of life have taken a back seat to developers who get a seat at the table while residents are ignored. I will continue to take all calls for help from constituents, be their voice and help them protect their quality of life.
What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office?
Since elected to the City Council, I took action to update the City Council Rules of Procedure twice. First, to ensure that councilors get the council agendas in advance of meetings allowing enough time for thorough and thoughtful review of important issues and second, to ensure that no new council business is conducted after 11 p.m. I believe the city is better served when its councilors are prepared and conducting the people’s business at a reasonable hour when the public can participate in matters affecting them and their families; citizens want a council they can trust. Prior to those rule changes, the Council Rules had not been updated since 1973.
Why are you running?
I am running for re-election because I care about my constituents. Their quality of life is important to me and I enjoy putting a lot of time and effort into trying to help people whenever I can while keeping an eye on our past with an eye to our future. My family has lived in Peabody for 5 generations, I’m proud to call Peabody my home and will continue to protect the great things Peabody has to offer provided to us by the hard work and commitment of past generations.
I am the most senior councilor with a combined 20 years of consecutive service to include six terms on the City Council and two terms on the School Committee. With the turnover the city council has experienced in the last few years, to include the upcoming retirement of our long term City Clerk Tim Spanos, my institutional knowledge is crucial in guiding the future council to make sound decisions and avoid the pitfalls associated with inexperience.
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Name: John A DeRosa Jr.
Occupation: Retired Peabody Police Captain.
Education: Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, FBI National Academy Graduate.
What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it?
Affordable housing is the most important issue facing the City. I would work with other councilors to make sure that developers meet or exceed the 20 percent affordable housing requirement that Peabody has. In addition, I would like to encourage developers to build more 55 and over housing. This could help our seniors who are looking to downsize, but want to remain in Peabody, afford to continue to live here.
What three issues are most important to you?
Affordable housing; taxes, we need to hold the line on tax increases; and responsible development protecting the quality of life of our neighborhoods.
What expertise do you bring to the table?
I am the only candidate who has worked and served the residents of Peabody for the last 32 years while at the Peabody Police Department. I have been fortunate to work with our City leaders and city employees to help to make positive impacts to our City. Through community policing initiatives I have been able to meet with so many residents and learn about their concerns and what quality of life issues they have and then work together to solve problems. This, I feel allows me to possess a unique insight that I will use in decision making on the City Council. In addition to community policing I have been involved in budget issues, planning major events, writing city ordinances, and representing the police department on several city planning committees throughout the years. I believe this experience and commitment to Peabody will help me to make the right decisions for our residents.
Why are you running?
Since retirement, I realized wanted to continue to serve the residents of Peabody. I care deeply about our community and if elected, I will be committed to keeping Peabody a great place to live and help to shape our future.
Why should people vote for you?
I believe my experience and lifetime of service to Peabody will make me an asset to the City Council. I will continue to be accessible and responsive to our residents, just as I did while being the Patrol and Emergency Control Center Commander at the police department. I will work hard to keep Peabody affordable, protect the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and hold the line on taxes. It would be an honor to continue working for the residents of Peabody.
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Name: Jon Turco
Occupation: Airfield Maintenance Foreman, Logan International Airport.
Education: Malden Catholic High School, Johnson and Wales University.
How long have you served? Ward 1 City Councilor 2015 to present, City Council President.
What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it?
The most important issue facing Peabody is an aging infrastructure. While it’s not a glamorous issue, it is important to upgrade our streets, sidewalks, pipes and municipal buildings.
What three issues are most important to you?
The three most important issues facing our community are infrastructure, traffic, and a lack of senior housing.
What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office?
I’d like to think of my accomplishments as helping residents with issues that affect them personally on a day-to-day basis. As for some larger issues, I was able to advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to implement an Administrative Consent Order against a blighted and contaminated property on Lynnfield Street thus beginning the cleanup of that property. I was able to help negotiate a project to help shield lighting from a large billboard that greatly affected the quality of life for many residents of Ward 1. Through negotiation with a local developer, I was able to provide a connection to City sewer for the residents of Farm Avenue with no cost to the City and lastly with help from the Mayor’s office, I advocated for the restoration of the land surrounding Brown’s Pond.
Why are you running?
I am running because it’s the best way I know how to help the city that I love.
Why should people vote for you?
People should vote for me because I have a proven record of responsiveness to the people I represent. I’ve fought continually for the people of Ward 1 and I intend to continue that fight for the entire City. I chose to raise my family in Peabody because it is affordable and offers a lot to its residents. Like many of us, I left an overdeveloped and overpopulated city and my hope is to prevent Peabody from becoming what we left behind. The hope is always to leave it to our kids in a better condition than how we got it.
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| Name: Thomas Gould
Occupation: owner, Treadwell’s Ice Cream. Education: B. S, manufacturing, engineering, Northeastern University. How long have you served? Eight years. What is the most important issue facing the city and how would you address it? Rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in our schools. What three issues are most important to you? Making sure that our city departments continue to provide services to our residents; Maintaining our buildings and infrastructure; and affordable housing. What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office? I work every day to help my constituents get the services they need and deserve. Why should people vote for you? I work to help people every day. I know how to get things done. |
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| Name: Thomas Rossignoll
Occupation: Physical Therapy for Partners HealthCare at Home. Education: Liberal Arts Associate’s Degree and Physical Therapy degree. How long have you served? I was on the School Committee for 8 years (2009-2017). I have been a councilor-at-large the past two years ( 2017- present ). What is the most important issues facing the city? The most pressing are the aging infrastructure and traffic congestion. As a councilor-at-large, I have been working on major projects to address these concerns. The $35 million water infrastructure project will improve our overall water quality and systems distribution city wide. The upcoming $11 million improvement to the Central Street corridor will improve traffic flow in a highly congested area and address a number of needed utility upgrades. There is also a project to improve access onto Goodwin Circle from Lynnfield St. I will continue to work with our mayor and state delegation to improve our downtown and continue to make the downtown area more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly. What three issues are most important to you? Maintaining Peabody’s overall high quality of life, improving the city’s systemic infrastructures and decreasing the impact of increased traffic. I feel the best way to address these areas of concern are to work with the mayor to develop and implement a master plan. This would help guide the city council to thoughtful, reasonable, and responsible resolutions while maintaining Peabody’s high quality of life. As a councilor-at- large, I will work with the Legislature to incorporate this plan to expand our open spaces such as the River walk and improve the bike paths. What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office? As a councilor-at-large, you do not work alone. Over the past two years, some of the accomplishments I have been a part of include: The Main Streets improvement drawing businesses and foot traffic to downtown. The water infrastructure upgrades which will improve our quality and distribution of water throughout the city, and the rejuvenation of Crystal Lake. As a School Committee member I worked closely with the mayor and I was on the Higgins Building Committee which worked with the developer to open the brand new state of the art school. Why are you running? I am running because I love my city. I want to represent the residents of Peabody in a positive productive manner. I do this by being open, honest, responsive, and accountable to all that need assistance or have questions. I always take a fair and balanced approach to improving our great city. My strongest skill is as a communicator. I have a proven track record of integrity and the ability to work well with people to get the job done right. Why should people vote for you? I am committed to Peabody. I was born and raised here and raised my family in Peabody. I understand Peabody’s past. I listen to the residents and I am committed to keeping Peabody’s hometown feel and high quality of life. Performing PT interventions in the home care setting allows me to connect and understand the needs of our seniors. In addition to serving on the School Committee for eight years, I have two daughters who have gone through the Peabody Public Schools. This has given me a deep understanding and needs of our school system from a family and department’s perspective. I have used these assets as your councilor-at-large the past two years. This diverse and expansive background gives me a balanced approach to help govern our great city. ___________________________________________________________ |
| Name: Ryan Melville | |||
Occupation: Director of Licensing, Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission,
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
How long have you served?
I am in my first term, serving since January of 2018.
What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it?
As a city councilor, I believe the most important issue is balancing the major infrastructure needs of Peabody while maintaining an affordable tax rate. Currently, we are embarking on a major water upgrade and we have several school projects that need attention.
What three issues are most important to you?
Addressing the city’s infrastructure needs such as roads, water pressure, schools and public safety equipment; supporting the city’s schools. Peabody has high expectations for our schools, and I will continue to work with the school committee and school department to ensure high standards are met.
What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office?
I was proud to propose and work to get passed the Veteran Volunteer Tax Abatement program. This gives an opportunity to repay veterans for their expenses in driving fellow veterans to their medical appointments. I believe this is an example of outside the box thinking that helps veterans while keeping an eye on costs.
Why are you running?
I am running for re-election because I have more to offer. When I was first elected I made it a point to spend time with residents, I have been active at the Torigian Senior Center, a guest reader at elementary schools and I have never missed a council meeting. I believe I know and understand this city.
Why should people vote for you?
I have taken pride in always being prepared for meetings and available to residents. I always respond residents when they contact me, and I will always put residents first. I will continue to think outside the box to find affordable and sustainable solutions to our city’s issues.
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Name: Jarrod M. Hochman
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Bachelor of Arts, State University of New York at Albany, Juris Doctorate from Western New England School of Law.
How long have you served?
I am in my 10th year as a member of the Peabody School Committee.
What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it?
There are several important issues facing the city. These include overdevelopment, traffic, streets, sidewalks, overburden of taxes upon homeowners and business owners, underfunding from the state for education, underutilization of Centennial Park, and more.
Whenever we talk about significant issues that face Peabody, the solution doesn’t come from one person. The City Council, with the mayor, department heads, police, fire, DPW, DPS, state delegation and so many others should work together to gather information and determine a course of action that is in the best interest of the residents and taxpayers of Peabody. Together, there are no issues that we cannot fix. I bring the willingness and desire to work with others to address the city’s concerns and achieve solutions to these issues.
What three issues are most important to you?
Overdevelopment
Traffic and other matters that affect quality of life issues for our residents / taxpayers, including conditions of streets and sidewalks.
Getting proper and appropriate funding for education for the state level.
What is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office?
As a member of the School Committee I am proud of the work that the Committee has done to secure funding for and building the Higgins Middle School. But my single biggest accomplishment would be the creation and operation of No Child Goes Hungry in Peabody. This is also known as the “backpack” program, where we provide more than 350 Peabody Public School students, who would otherwise go hungry on weekends and during school breaks, with a backpack filled with food. I am the co-founder and co-director of this program. I, along with teams of volunteers, proudly fill backpacks with food every Thursday and deliver them to schools and students every Friday to ensure that kids have food.
What expertise do you bring to the table?
As a small business owner and attorney I bring an understanding of developing and adhering to a budget as well as zoning ordinances, contract development and interpretation and statutes.
Why are you running?
I am running because I love Peabody and have a desire to help others whenever I am able.
Why should people vote for you?
The wonderful people of Peabody have already voted for me as I was elected to the Peabody School Committee in 2009, reelected in 2013 and again in 2017. I have a proven record of public service and I thank the voters in Peabody for trusting me and providing me with the incredible opportunity and responsibility to serve them. I respectfully ask that you consider me with one of your five votes for Councilor at Large and permit me to continue to serve you and our great city.
