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87th Annual Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce Dinner
Friday, November 9, 2018
Speliotis overcomes Mezzina in Tuesday’s general election By Christopher Roberson
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Shown during the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce’s 87t annual Dinner and Awards Celebration on Nov. 1 at the Doubletree Hotel in Danvers are, from left to right, (first Row) Marissa Szabo, Jenna Coccimiglio, Lisa Mayhew, Kristen Faro, Taylor Sparkas, (second Row) Robin O’Donnell, Tricia L’Abbe, Sue Trahant, Chris Feazel, Sue Tomchyshyn, Julie Daigle, Jacqui Richard, (third row) Pete Diffendal, Dave Olsen, Corey Jackson, Teresa Reade, Ed Lomasney, (back row) Brian Vinagro, Mike Murray, Matt Genzale, Nicolas D’Onofrio, Dan Sencabaugh. See more photo highlights on page 16. (Photos Courtesy of The Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce)
Barber Shoppe Off the Square receives Business Member of the Year nomination By Christopher Roberson
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or the first time in its four-year history, the Barber Shoppe off the Square was nominated for this year’s Business Member of the Year award from the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce. “It felt great to be nominated for this award. I was very excited to get recognized, especially by my business peers,” said owner Paul McGinnity. “These are people that are in my community and we do business together. It’s very close to home, which makes it personal and very meaningful to me.” In addition to owning the Barber Shoppe, McGinnity has been in the industry for the past 12 years. Prior to opening the Barber Shoppe, he worked at George’s Barbershop on Foster Street, a stable business in Peabody for more than seven decades. After George’s closed, McGinnity said, he asked David Serpa, who had owned George’s since 1993, to come with
Barber Shoppe off the Square Owner Paul McGinnity
him to open the Barber Shoppe at 13R Main St. “David has been invited to work here until he decides he is done being a barber,” said McGinnity. “I was able to keep the traditions of George’s alive as well as turning myself into an
entrepreneur. We continuously and tirelessly work at being the premier barbershop in Peabody, especially in downtown.” Since opening in 2014, McGinnity said, every year has been “better and better.” “Our relationships with the city, other businesses and the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce has also gotten tremendously stronger in the past four years,” he said. “The Barber Shoppe is very strong with three great barbers: David Serpa, Steve Caron and myself. What I enjoy most about working at the barbershop is that I get to do what I love all day.” McGinnity also considers himself a people person. “I enjoy connecting with people; I like to talk with people and I enjoy learning a variety of things from them,” he said. “I get a daily understanding of my community and the differences of people in that community. I consider that to be a priceless experience.”
ongtime State Rep. Theodore Speliotis won a hard-fought race for reelection during the Nov. 6 general election, holding off challenger Mark Mezzina by 5.7 percent. In prior years, Speliotis has won reelection by an average of 14.4 percent. In Peabody, the results for the 13th Essex District showed that 2,792 of the city’s voters favored Mezzina compared to 2,538 for Speliotis. However, the race for governor was not nearly as close with Gov. Charlie Baker taking 66.9 percent of the state vote and challenger Jay Gonzalez taking 33 percent. In Peabody, 16,757 voters favored Baker while Gonzalez garnered 4,960 votes. In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Elizabeth Warren emerged victorious with 60.3 percent of the vote. Challenger Geoff Diehl received 36.2 percent, and challenger Shiva Ayyadurai finished in a distant third with 3.3 percent. Peabody voters also favored Warren, who collected 11,128 votes citywide. Diehl trailed with 10,236 and Ayyadurai finished with 812. In the congressional race to represent Massachusetts’s Sixth District, incumbent Seth Moulton secured 65.2 percent of the state vote as he soundly defeated challenger Joseph Schneider, who had 31.3 percent, and challenger Mary Jean Charbonneau, who had 3.3 percent. In Peabody, the results showed Moulton with 13,623 votes and Schneider with 7,561 votes. Charbonneau finished with 792 votes. In the race for Attorney General, incumbent Maura Healey received 69.8 percent of the state vote and challenger James McMahon garnered 30.1 percent. In Peabody, Healey defeated McMahon by 6,245 votes. William Galvin received 70.7 percent of the state vote and will continue to serve as the Secretary of the Commonwealth. He was challenged by Anthony Amore, who received 25.4 percent, and Juan Sanchez, who received 3.8 percent. In Peabody, 14,401 votes were cast for Galvin versus 6,910 for Amore and 494 for Sanchez. Regarding the three ballot questions, 70.2 percent of Massachusetts voters said no on Question 1 to limit the nurse to patient ratio while 29.8 percent said yes. In Peabody, 16,785 voters said no on the ballot question while 4,885 said yes. On Question 2, which asked for the establishment of a Citizens Commission, 71.3 percent of statewide voters said yes and 28.7 percent said no. In Peabody, 13,845 voters said yes and 7,529 said no. For Question 3 regarding gender identity rights, 67.7 percent of the state’s voters said yes and 32.2 percent said no. In Peabody, 12,757 voters said yes and 9,001 voters said no.