PEABODY — With the primary just one day away, City Council candidates for Ward 5 continue to prepare for Tuesday’s election.
In Ward 4, incumbent Ed Charest will be up against former Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce director Julie Daigle and newcomer/molecular biologist John Salisbury-Rowsell. All three candidates are primarily focused on development and the changing needs of neighborhoods in their wards.
“I do my homework and when something is wrong in the ward, I get involved and do the fact checking as needed,” Salisbury-Rowsell said. “I just think that, thus far, we haven’t had much of a voice.”
Daigle and Charest have their eyes on a specific development ― a 40B, or low-income, housing project set to be built on King Street ― which neither of them support.
“I just feel for the (King Street) neighborhood,” Charest said. “I don’t agree with the development. We tried our best to work with them for the best deal for the city, but you can’t say no now that they’ve gone ahead.”
Daigle agreed with the project at first, but withdrew her support upon viewing the full proposal.
“We need housing in Peabody, but we need the right project,” she said.
City residents will also be able to vote for members of the Municipal Light Commission. The candidates are Tracy Valletti, Thomas Paras (incumbent), Robert Wheatley (incumbent), Raymond Melvin, Joel Brenner, and Marybeth Mallia.
In Ward 5, incumbent Joel Saslaw and challengers Matthew Molk and David Gamache all have different reasons behind their decisions to throw their hats into the ring.
Saslaw says that he wants to be reelected because he feels he represents the people of Peabody well. A lifelong resident of the city, he says that he is a fighter who will continue to fight for them at city hall.
His main concerns right now are the development of affordable housing projects under Chapter 40B. He says that one of his goals is to push for developers to be more transparent with their initial plans for these properties so that the community will know more about what is coming.
“Developers who are interested in pursuing any 40B developments will never get my support unless they have open and transparent conversations with the direct abutters,” Saslaw said. “I am a strong believer in neighborhood meetings and will continue to advocate for them.
“The project I inherited on Route 1 is a blighted area and I am proud to say we have had open, honest and transparent meetings with the developer,” he added. “It’s important to work with developers.”
A 1981 Peabody High graduate, Saslaw says one of his most important influences throughout his life has been his mother. He was raised in Peabody by a single mother and attributes a lot of his own strength and drive to her.
“Being raised by a strong, independent woman taught me how to help and stand up for people who are in need and to also be their voice when necessary,” said Saslaw.
Molk is also a lifelong Peabody resident and graduate of Peabody High’s Class of 2000. He works as a director of development for GraVoc, a technology firm in Peabody. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Peabody Access TV.
One major issue that Molk thinks the town should assess is the idea of creating a town-wide internet service. He said that the pandemic opened his eyes, and seeing students and adults struggling to have reliable internet service has made him passionate about embracing technology even more in his campaign.
“We have city-owned poles, and the municipal light plant,” Molk said. “We don’t need to be reliant on Comcast and RCN. We could have every household in Peabody with high-speed internet.”
Molk says that he feels he is the candidate for the young, family-oriented demographic of the Peabody community. He is raising his family in the city and says that he feels he understands the concerns of his community and his generation. When it comes to the recent rash of 40B and other housing developments, Molk says his main concern is the impact they will have on kids.
“I’m the next generation who is willing and humble enough and grateful enough to ask to serve his people,” Molk said.
Gamache, a lifelong Peabody resident and 1978 Peabody High graduate, served as Ward 5 city councilor for 24 years. He stepped back in 2013 so he could spend time with his newborn grandson.
“I regretted it the minute I walked out of city hall,” Gamache said. “I’m retiring at the end of this month and figured I would make it a full-time position.”
Gamache is worried about how understaffed the city’s Public Services Department is right now. He said he wants to help get the staffing back to where it should be before tackling other important issues.
Gamache said he wants to come back and work for the city again not only because it’s something he has done in the past, but he also says that it’s something he has always felt is a calling. He sees 40B developments as a detriment to the city and favors elderly housing developments.
“I have lived in Peabody my entire life,” Gamache said. “I ran for councilor-at-large at 19. I didn’t win, but I got the bug back then and I’ve always wanted to do it.”
The preliminary election is on Tuesday. Ward 5 voting for precincts 1, 2, and 3 will be at Peabody High School, 485 Lowell Street from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Katelyn Sahagian can be reached at [email protected].
