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Vol. 2, No. 42
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Monument honoring fire and police unveiled at Emerson Park By Christopher Roberson
P
eabody’s finest and bravest recently gathered at Emerson Park with residents and elected officials for the unveiling of the new Peabody Fire and Police Memorial. During the Oct. 14 ceremony, Mayor Edward Bettencourt said there are few individuals who can truly be successful police officers or firefighters. “It is a very special calling. Each day we are reminded that the men and women who serve as firefighters and police officers are worthy of our great respect and eternal gratitude,” he said. “This beautiful new memorial is a fitting tribute which will stand to honor their service and sacrifice on our behalf.” The monument itself features two life-size bronze statues of a police officer and a firefighter with a flame in the middle, which alternates between blue and red every minute. Although it came at a cost, Bettencourt knew that the memorial was within the city’s reach. “Peabody rallied like we knew that it would and the result speaks for itself,” he said.
Shown at the unveiling ceremony for the city’s new Fire and Police Memorial on October 14 are, from left to right, Mayor Edward Bettencourt, Police Chief Thomas Griffin, Police Officer Justin Cecil, Fire Captain Dale Kimball, Fire Chief Steven Pasdon, and the monument’s designer Robert Shore. (Advocate photo by Christopher Roberson)
The idea to construct the monument came from Police Officer Justin Cecil and Fire Captain Dale Kimball, who have been friends for 35
School Committee and City Council debates remain calm By Christopher Roberson
W
ith the exception of a few minor disagreements here and there, civility prevailed during the recent School Committee and City Council debates. During the Oct. 17 School Committee debate, Jarrod Hochman, a committee member for the past eight years, said the school budget has “remained relatively stagnant in the past few years.” He said the result has been a lack of funding for the arts as well as for the purchase of history and social studies textbooks, which have not been updated in 20 years. Challenger Andrew Arnotis said more money needs to be invested in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum as that field continues to
become increasingly popular. “I would like to see us put a magnifying glass on that,” he said. Member Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne, who has sat on the committee since 2004, said additional funding was needed to increase salaries. “We worked on that,” she said, adding that higher salaries are being implemented incrementally. She also agreed with Arnotis regarding STEM funding. “We need to prepare our students for life in tomorrow,” said Griffin Dunne. Speaking about building space, challenger Linda Quadros Lopez said more space is needed at Center Elementary School, as the cafeteria, gymnasium and auditorium are all crammed into the same room.
SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 14
years. While it took five years to build the monument, Kimball said Cecil was a “typical perfect teammate” throughout the entire process.
“This hallowed ground is a symbol of courage,” said Kimball. Cecil commended his colleagues from both depart-
ments for their unyielding dedication and bravery. “You are the blue and red lines between civilization and chaos,” he said. “Most people run from danger, these people run towards it.” Cecil and Kimball also recognized the names of the fallen. Saugus Police Officer Harold Vitale died on June 18, 1985, when he was dragged more than 1,000 feet after what began as a routine traffic stop. In 2011, Peabody firefighter James Rice died of smoke inhalation in a threealarm fire just two days before Christmas. Peabody firefighter Daniel Pimenta died on July 30 of this year after being struck by a car while he was out for a bike ride. In addition, Cecil called attention to Sergeant John Epstein, who was in attendance, of the 84th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Cecil said that in 2014, two of Epstein’s men, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were gunned down simply because they were police officers. In response, Bettencourt, Police Chief Thomas Griffin and 20 police officers had traveled
MONUMENT | SEE PAGE 6
Tanner top two NEC rivals
Jonathan Alves drives a shot on goal in first-half action against Marblehead during the Tanners’ 2-1 home game victory. The win was the Tanners’ second in a week after beating Beverly in a 3-0 home sweep last Friday. See story and photo highlights inside on page 9. (Advocate photo by Greg Phipps)