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Vol. 2, No. 45
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Friday, November 10, 2017
Gould tops council race in low turnout election By Christopher Roberson
W
ith 6,316 votes, Councillor-at-Large Thomas Gould did more than just secure another two years on the City Council – he literally won the entire election. As the results came in on Nov. 7, it was found that Gould had received more votes than any other candidate in any of the six contested races. “It’s an honor to be reelected to the council. I try hard every day to help make life better for people,” he said. “I will continue to work hard to keep Peabody moving forward.” In all, 8,901 ballots were cast Tuesday, accounting for about a quarter of Peabody’s 35,000plus registered voters. Second place went to Councillor-at-Large David Gravel, who picked up 5,222 votes. “I am extremely grateful to the citizens of Peabody for allowing me the opportunity to serve as a councillor-at-large for another term,” he said. “I believe that the city is on a good path to revitalization, and over the next two years I intend to work hard to continue to make Peabody the best that
Newly elected School Committee Member Andrew Arnotis (center) with incumbent Members Jarrod Hochman and Beverley Griffin Dunne during the Nov. 7 General Election. See full election results on page 15.
it can be.” Councillor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin finished with 4,978 votes to lock in another term. Challenger Thomas Rossignoll successfully made the leap from the School Committee to councillor-at-large, garnering
Superintendent search goes from 15 to five By Christopher Roberson
F
rom an original pool of 15 applicants vying to be Peabody’s next superintendent of schools, Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, selected five of them to advance to the final round of interviews with the School Committee. Those applicants are described below. An educator since 1997, Dr. John Perella has been the principal at Medford High School since 2012. His prior positions include being the assistant principal at Garfield Middle School in Revere and vice principal at Revere High School. Perella holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Master’s Degree from Salem State University and a
Doctorate from the University of Massachusetts. Perella was interviewed on Nov. 8. Another candidate to move onto the final round was Dr. Susan Kustka, the assistant superintendent of schools in Weymouth. Before coming to Weymouth, she had been the director of teaching and learning in Hanover. Kustka was interviewed on Nov. 8. Prior to being hired in 2016 as Wilmington’s assistant superintendent of schools, Sean Gallagher had been the principal at Beverly High School for 10 years. In addition, he was an elementary school health teacher in Everett and a special education teacher at Lynn Alternative High School as well as a health teacher, dean of students and athletic director at
SUPERINTENDENT | SEE PAGE 3
4,215 votes. “I am humbled and honored by the support I have received throughout this campaign. There are some amazing people in this city, and I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “I also want to congratulate all the other candidates who won their elected position, as well as
thank all the other candidates for having the courage to put their name on the ballot. It will be an honor and a privilege to serve on the City Council.” Challenger Ryan Melville rounded out the top five at-large candidates with 3,933 votes. “I am thrilled by the results and am
really excited to serve the city of Peabody,” he said. “I am thankful for the support of my family and friends who put a lot of hours into our campaign. I look forward to working with my fellow elected officials and the mayor.” In Ward 4, Councillor Edward Charest received 1,134 votes to easily defeat challenger Bukia Chalvire, who had 571 votes. Out of the three contested ward races, Ward 5 had the tightest margin of victory, as City Council President Joel Saslaw slipped by challenger James Jeffrey by 242 votes.“It can get personal at times, but we all want what’s best [for] Peabody,” said Saslaw. Mark O’Neill will be the new face in Ward 6 after defeating Michael Geomelos by a vote of 1,065 to 797. “We worked very hard by visiting as many homes as possible. My family and our campaign volunteers really carried me throughout this race,” said O’Neill. “Meeting old friends and making many new friends while campaigning was the best part of this journey.”
CITY COUNCIL | SEE PAGE 2
Tanners soccer falls short in MIAA North playoff opener
Senior Kevin Aroke dodges a Somerville defender as he sprints for the net during the Tanners’ 5-1 MIAA North Division playoff opener loss at Dilboy Stadium Saturday, November 4. Peabody will end the season with a 9-8-2 record. See story and photos inside on page 7. (Advocate photo by Dave Sokol)