PEABODY — With a new city clerk, a new council president and a new city treasurer all taking center stage Thursday, it was a night of firsts for the City of Peabody at the first council meeting of 2020.
“It went really well, I thought,” said council president Tom Rossignoll. “Luckily, we still have Tim (Spanos) to lead me through my first meeting. The council was great and I think it gets back to what I said at the inauguration, that we all may come from different places, but we all come together and have the same commitment to making the city be the best it can be.”
The meeting commenced with new city clerk Allyson Danforth being sworn in by her predecessor, Spanos. Spanos’ service to the city spanned 43 years. He announced his retirement last year in a Nov. 6 letter to the City Council.
The council wasted no time in finding a successor, appointing Danforth by a unanimous 9-0 vote at the Nov. 14 city council meeting. Danforth is the ninth person to serve as Peabody’s city clerk.
In contrast, the search for a replacement for outgoing City Treasurer Julie Daigle was not nearly as swift. Daigle spent 2½ years as Peabody treasurer before resigning last June to accept a position as Executive Director of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thursday night, the nearly eight-month long search ended following a unanimous 10-0 council vote to approve the appointment of Dianne Full to serve a one-year term.
Human Resources Director Beth O’Donnell introduced Full to the council.
“We are very fortunate to have Dianne join our finance team,” said O’Donnell. “It was a long process, but the search committee I think came up with the right person for the position. Dianne has been exceptionally accommodating, especially as we made the transition through the holidays to the new year.”
Councilor Anne Manning-Martin echoed O’Donnell’s sentiments.
“You have an impressive résumé with municipal experience in city treasury offices and seem like the perfect fit,” she said. Manning-Martin went on to thank O’Donnell’s department for bringing us “such a good candidate.”
Ward 2 Councilor Peter McGinn made the motion to approve the selection of Full.
“I’ve known her for many years and she is a very hard worker and a fine person,” McGinn said. “I enthusiastically support your appointment to this position.”
Full comes to Peabody on the heels of a 19-year run in the City of Salem, serving in several capacities, most recently as assistant treasurer. She also served as officer manager/accountant executive and assistant accountant.
Before that, Full spent nearly three years as a cash supervisor and senior accountant for Champps Entertainment, Inc., in Danvers.
A Peabody resident, Full holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration (accounting concentration) from Salem State University.
“I started this past Monday and am excited to get going,” said Full following the vote. “I wasn’t nervous at all downstairs (in the City Treasurer’s office), but tonight, I definitely was a bit nervous appearing before the council, but now I just am looking forward to getting to work.”
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
