PEABODY — Citing the presence of the “major issues impacting our community caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bukia Chalvire has joined the race to secure an at-large seat on Peabody’s City Council.
“I am running this year because I am extremely concerned that we are now seeing a twin pandemic with the obvious issues about coronavirus itself, but also the rising pediatric mental health crisis,” Chalvire said. “The mental health of our students and our seniors is being adversely affected at greater levels. Isolation and grief related to lost loved ones, food insecurity in our community are all increasing and we need to have full-time mental health and social and emotional specialists, we need teachers to receive training so they can recognize the signs of students who are struggling. That may not solve all the problems, but will help.”
Keeping Peabody affordable for small businesses and residents, especially seniors, is another top priority for Chalvire.
“Peabody must remain affordable for seniors and small businesses. Our seniors built this city and we must do our part to help them stay in their homes,” Chalvire said. “We may not have had tax rate increases, but the taxes people actually pay have gone up as property values are skyrocketing. Young families may not feel it so much, (but) for retired people and seniors it’s different. Lots of seniors are on fixed incomes and they face the choice between paying their taxes and buying necessary food and medicines, and we can’t let that happen.”
Chalvire is in favor of the city working with local businesses to offer incentives to hire seniors.
“I’ve seen too many seniors have to rejoin the workforce to survive and they are met by so many challenges competing with younger, more energetic workers. I believe government, especially the city, should give incentives to businesses to hire retired people and veterans and also young people.”
As far as the state and city’s response to the pandemic, Chalvire said she believes the state “has been doing a good job keeping people informed and that the mayor (Ted Bettencourt) has done a great job keeping residents informed with his weekly robo-calls. It’s challenging as this is new uncharted waters and all we can ask for is everyone can only do their best with effort put forth.”
A native of Mirebalais, Haiti, Chalvire immigrated with her parents to the United States in her early 20’s in 1996 and moved to Peabody in 2012. She is the founder and principal of the real estate investment KIA properties Solution LLC, a real estate investment company.
In 2015, Chalvire was hired as Executive Assistant of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (MORI), which serves as the state’s refugee resettlement coordinator’s office. The agency provides service regarding citizenship, workforce development and training and health programming.
While serving at MORI, Chalvire was elected chairwoman of the Peabody Republican City Committee (PRCC). In 2017 she ran unsuccessfully for Ward 4 City Councilor of Peabody where she resides with her husband, Stanley, three children and “soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”.
Prior to joining MORI, Chalvire served as a campaign manager for former state representative candidate Jaclyn Corriveau. Chalvire has served on the boards of the Lynn Washington Street Baptist Church; the Mattapan Board of trade and the Mattapan Technology Learning Center. She worked as a marketing agent for Radio Belle Haiti for three years, running her own television and radio ad agency for 10 years. She also served as a marketing agent and Xfinity Communication specialist for Comcast for six years.
“I have committed my career to community building, social change, public service, political activism, and linking communities together for an integrated approach while working to engage the participation of members and stakeholders,” Chalvire said. “I will work to see small businesses and families get the support they need to get back on their feet. This pandemic is weighing heavily on our seniors and we need to be there for them. Aside from the pandemic, we are and will be seeing major changes in our community and we need to be ready to adjust to those changes.”
Current at-large councilors Tom Gould, Ryan Melville, Tom Rossignoll and Jon Turco confirmed to The Daily Item that they intend to run for another term.
